


The Perfect Crime

by Stupidthesloth



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst and Feels, Attempted Murder, Character Death, Child Death, F/F, F/M, I Don't Even Know, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Major Character Injury, Murder Mystery, One True Pairing, Serial Killers, Seven Deadly Sins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 66,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23580709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stupidthesloth/pseuds/Stupidthesloth
Summary: A murderer is on the loose in the New York streets and Yvette Diamond, a Homicide Detective is partnered up with Briar Woods, a new recruit in the NYPD to solve the series of murders. The only catch, they have a time limit of one month before the killer finishes they're series of seven murders and leaves New York City without a trace.
Relationships: Blue Diamond/Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), Pink Diamond/Greg Universe
Comments: 59
Kudos: 142





	1. Greed

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a really bad first chapter I wrote this while I was half asleep and was on a Zoom call with my boyfriend so I know it's bad, and I doubt I'm actually going to continue this but Idk, I might, I might not.
> 
> But like here are the characters anyways:
> 
> Yvette Diamond (Yellow Diamond)- Homicide Detective  
> Briar Woods (Blue Diamond)- Homicide Detective  
> Penelope (Pink Diamond)- Forensic scientist  
> Willa Diamond (White Diamond)- Cheif of Police

Yvette Diamond hastily made her way through the apparent halls, maneuvering herself out of the way of the police officers which littered the crime scene. Yvette, a homicide detective, had been awoken in the early hours of the morning by a phone call from her mother, telling her to come to a crime scene. She had made her way to the scene as quickly as she could, she didn’t even take the time to do her hair properly. Her short dirty blonde hair was barely gelled back, portions of it falling into her face as she jogged down the hall, though she was more preoccupied with fixing her badge which was attached to her black belt, right next to her gun. Yvette was sporting a black suit, as stereotypical as it seemed along with donning matching black work shoes. The suit fit her body well and hugged her arms just enough so that the muscles that resided on them were prominent. But not so much that they were completely out there for everyone to see. She looked around her, officers were everywhere, most of them trying to keep people from crowding the hallway, though that didn’t stop the tenants from poking their heads out of their doors trying to get a look into the place in question. A strand of hair fell into her face, which she was quick to push away continuing her way to the crime scene. Upon reaching the apartment, she pushed the door open almost immediately being hit with the smell of rotten flesh and oil. Yvette covered her nose with the back of her hand continuing her way to where the body was. 

Penelope was crotched down, a camera in hand taking photos of the body which was laid in front of her, her short curly pink hair, which was clearly dyed that color, was left out ending just below her ears. A few strands were in her face, hiding a portion of her brown eyes from view. Yvette came up from behind her before crocheting down beside her, “Who’s this?” she asked, gesturing at the body. Penelope looked at her for a moment, she didn’t realize she had come, she lived across the city how did Yvette manage to get the apartment complex this quick. Not to mention there was the busy New York traffic she would have had to deal with, but the twenty-six-year-old pushed her thought aside. The amount of time Yvette took didn’t matter, she was here, that’s what mattered. 

“Cheryl Anderson, fifty-four-year-old judge for the grand court, owner of this apartment. A neighbor reported hearing disturbance in the night and called for a wellness check. The police found her like this” she said softly, pushing away a strand of pink hair out of her face. Both women looked down at the body, at least part of the body, the only the torso and head of the woman was in front of them. Both body parts seemed to be extremely burned to the point where the flesh was now a greasy grey-brown color, not only that but they reeked of oil and fried meat. 

Yvette furrowed her brows, taking the gloves that Penelope offered to her and slipped them one before she began to move the head. As she did so though, part of the flesh broke off of the skull, sticking to the floor, Yvette scrunched up her nose at the sight, “Where’s the rest of her?” The young forensic gestured around the apartment, specifically towards the kitchen and living area where Yvette could see other, equally burnt pieces of flesh, “What happened to her?” 

“From what we found so far, she was fried and then dismembered. We found the pot of oil in the kitchen, which is where we also found one of her hands. Overall, she suffered from both second and third-degree burns to the whole body and she’s been dead for at least five hours, maybe more, but it’s safe to assume she was dead long before she got dismembered” Penelope said bluntly, taking another picture of the corpse, whereas Yvette had long since stood up, now walking around to the other side of the body. 

“Was there any evidence of a forced entrance?” she asked, lifting up a portion of the head. 

Penelope nodded, “Yeah, the latches on the door were almost completely ripped off, it looked like someone tried kicked down the door and stormed in. There was also a struggle, because there were nail marks on the floor which makes it seem like she was dragged here by her feet, from there she was tied up with a TV cord, which was ultimately burned into her body and then she probably had hot oil dumped on her” 

“So it would be safe to say this was premeditated” Penelope nodded, “Does she have any people who might want to hurt her?” Yvette asked, though the forensic scientist merely shrugged, taking another picture of the body, this time from a different angle. “How did no one hear the struggle take place, I mean she had to have screamed when she had the oil poured on her” 

“Because whoever did this was blasting music during the whole thing, probably so no one heard her screaming and stuff,” she said, looking up at Yvette, both women had pale skin, though Yvette’s face was littered with freckles whereas Penelope was free from any. Not only that but where Yvette had a sharp jawline and prominent cheekbones, Penelope had soft facial features that went well with her light pink hair. The detective let out a small hum, as she walked around the rest of the apartment, Penelope behind her, she would be lying if she said she didn’t expect blood to be all over the home. After all, when her mother called her she was told that this was something gruesome, Yvette expected gruesome to be a bloody mess, perhaps a massacre not to find out a woman had hot oil poured on her. Her mother never did tell her what to expect when it came to cases. Yvette let out a small huff as she looked into the kitchen, the smell was worse in there, the smell of oil and flesh didn’t mix well ultimately creating a putrid smell. She covered her nose again not wanting to inhale any more of that smell. She looked at Penelope and was still taking pictures, not at all affected by the smell. That was surprising, normally it was Yvette who had the stronger stomach out of the two. “Did you hear the news?” she questioned while she took another picture, “Where’s getting a new recruit today, she’s supposed to be coming here soon, she’s a Homicide Detective too. So you better watch out Yvette, you might have some competition” Penelope laughed out, a small smile on her face. 

Yvette merely scoffed though, rolling her eyes, it had been a while since they got a new recruit and even when they did they normally didn’t stay long. Either because they realized that this wasn’t the job for them, or they couldn’t handle seeing dead bodies on a daily basis. But the fact that this new recruit was coming here, on their first day, was risky; they aren’t used to seeing something this severe. It took Yvette a good month or two to completely get used to seeing this type of stuff, she honestly felt bad for this new recruit. Yvette’s mother must really hate them already, or have a bit too much confidence on how capable they are. At the end of the day, it didn’t involve Yvette, so she didn’t care, all she had to worry about was figuring out who murdered Ms. Anderson and then her job will be done. “Do you know her name” 

“Yeah, actually I do, Briar Woods. She graduated top of her class, which is impressive, the only other person I know who was able to successfully do that was you. So as I said, you may have some competition Yvette, or perhaps an equal counterpart. I don’t know how you two will be around each other” Penelope said smirking, “She’s pretty though, maybe she’s your type” 

“It’s unprofessional to be in a relationship with a coworker” Yvette said quickly, looking at the steel fridge noticing a series of pictures that were stuck to it. Most photos were where family photos, taken in various places one seemed to have been taken in central park, a place where Yvette visited a lot during her days off, whereas others seemed to be in various places around the world. Though what stood out was the people in the picture, the same three people were always in all of them, a woman who Yvette assumed was the victim, a man perhaps the husband and a young boy who looked to be no more than ten. All of them were smiling happily in each picture, “Did she live alone?” she asked, plucking one of the photos off of the fridge to take a closer look. Penelope was peering over her shoulder to look at the photo, Yvette turned her head to look at her as she nodded, “Do we know who this is?” she pointed to the man, he had dark brown hair which was cut short and was combed back along with a beard. He overall was a good foot taller than the woman and had the young boy in his arms, smiling at whoever was taking the picture. 

Penelope looked at the picture closely, “No I don’t think we do know, why do you think he may have something to do with this?” 

“I do, did she have a ring on?” 

“Yeah, actually she did now that you mention it” Penelope said, flipping through her camera to find a photo that had the object in question. When she finally found one she turned the camera so that Yvette could see it, the older woman took the camera from Penelope’s hand. Holding it next to the picture, though in the picture the ring wasn’t all that clear, there was still a small glint that was coming from the woman's hand, no doubt the golden ring shining in the sunlight. “What are you thinking? That the husband did it?” she piped in, shoving her hands in her jean pockets as she looked at the camera, to the picture and then back at Yvette, who was all too focused on the picture. 

“You said she lived alone, but here she is, still with a ring on...perhaps she’s divorced, and she had a son” Yvette handed the camera back, putting the photo back, “Maybe there was a custody battle” 

“Yeah but do you really think someone would do all of this just so they could have custody of their child, I mean this is a bit much. Normally people just shoot their ex and then barry their body somewhere, not but in all the effort into dumping oil on her and dismember her only to just leave the body to be found. Whoever did this, wanted the body to be found, which is abnormal for custody battle cases” the young woman pointed out, taking a photo of the fridge, “Besides, people said she lived alone for a while, like a good year or so, so I doubt whatever happened between her husband was resent” 

Yvette hummed in response, making her way to the rest of the kitchen, taking in the rest of the environment. Nothing appeared to be out of place, besides the scratch marks on the tile floor and the blood on the counter, she could hear Penelope shuffling behind her, still taking pictures of portions of the kitchen area. At the moment she was crotched down, snapping a few pictures of the floor before running her gloved finger over the marks. They were deep, like abnormally deep, even if the victim was deeply trying to grasp onto something, no human is able to make this large of an indent into this type of tile. “Yvette come look at this” she called, the detective turned on her heel so that she was now facing Penelope who was pointing down at the ground. She crouched down, feeling the marks just like Penelope had, “There deep right? Like really deep, I don’t think she made these marks” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, I think the killer might have made these with some type of tool” 

“That would have to talk a lot of strength though, I mean to be able to engrave long indents in the tiles from here to the body. And why would they do this if they knew that we would have recognized that it wasn’t made by Cheryl?” Penelope shrugged, “Well, either way, whoever did do this had some serious pent up anger towards the victim, from the severity of the attack to the amount of preparation that had to have been done beforehand. I mean, they were attacking a woman who lived in center of New York, in a heavily populated apartment complex, they had to know when the best time would have been to strike” 

“Maybe they used to live on the same floor as her?” she proposed, “That would give them access into understanding her schedule, they just had to pay extra attention to the things she did and when she did them”

Yvette nodded piercing her lips, “You may be right, I’ll have to ask around and get a record of past tenants. Figure out who used to live here, or maybe even still lives here that might have a distaste for Ms.Anderson” she stood up, exiting the kitchen, Penelope not far behind, “I’m going to question some of the residence, tell me if you find anything” Yvette said over her shoulder making her way towards the door though as she went to open it, the door swung open another woman running into the room, the two women colliding into each other. Yvette winced as she felt the front of her suit starting to stick to her, whatever the woman was drinking, had now soaked her suit. Yvette brought her hand to her abdomen, where most of the drink had spilled, it was coffee, she mentally cursed it was going to be hell to get out and the suit wasn’t exactly cheap. She looked up at the woman, who too was looking at the stain that was on Yvette, her mouth agape, she looked horrified. Penelope muffled a laugh as she looked at the sight in front of her, but when Yvette whipped her head around to look to glare at her the forensic scientist was quick to turn around a smile still on her face. When she knew Yvette had turned back around, she snuck another glance, Yvette looked pissed, her jaw clenched and brows furrowed as she looked down at her stained suit. Penelope mentally wished luck for whoever was unfortunate enough to run into Yvette. 

“I am so sorry,” the woman said softly, pulling Yvette’s attention away from her ruined suit, the woman was around her height, a bit shorter. She had long dark brown hair, which was out allowing it to flow freely down all the way past her shoulders. Portions of it had found its way into her face though she paid them no mind and instead was more focused on the woman who stood in front of her. Her skin was a darker tone compared to Yvette, almost an olive color, at least that’s how it appeared to Yvette in the lighting. The woman tried smiling up at Yvette, but when she didn’t smile back, hers dropped a small frown in its place, she tightened her hold on her coffee cup, the lid had long since been knocked off, now on the floor. There was very little coffee left, though most of it was on her or Yvette, “I’m sorry” she repeated. 

“You’ve already said that,” Yvette said harshly, her face devoid of any emotion as she looked down at the woman, “You should be watching where you're going, and you also aren’t meant to bring food to a crime scene, because an accident, like you spilling your coffee on me, can occur” she looked the woman up and down, she was wearing a deep ocean blue dress skirt that ended right above her knee along with a match ocean blue dress shirt and black heels. Though Yvette was more focused on the badge that was the woman’s belt. 

“Yes, well I didn’t expect that someone was going to be standing so close to the door. I am sorry though, I should have been watching where I was going” she said, her head down, “But do you know where I can find Yvette Diamond, I’m supposed to be working with her on this case” the woman looked over Yvette’s shoulder in an attempt to look at the dead body, standing on her tiptoes to do so, “What even did happen here?” 

Yvette cocked a brow, this woman wasn’t serious right, Yvette in her five years of working at the NYPD had never been partnered up with someone. She never needed to be, she could solve cases by herself, without anyone else’s help, Yvette didn’t need a partner. “I’m Yvette Diamond,” she said. 

The woman perked up for a moment but was quick to realize that she’d just spilled her coffee on her new partner, she dropped her head again, “Oh, well I’m Briar Woods, and I was told we were to work on the case together…. If that’s alright with you” Briar said kindly, extending her hand for Yvette to take but the woman instead pushed past her much to Briar’s surprise and stormed down the hall. Yvette already had her phone out, pulling up her mother’s phone number, her mother had to be pulling some sort of joke on her. She wasn’t actually having Yvette work with an amateur, someone who didn’t even know the basic rules, like not bringing food and drinks to a crime scene. Mostly though, Yvette needed to talk to her mother about even being partnered up with someone in the first place, because she didn’t need a partner, she had been fine on her own and had successful solves several cases, on her own, Yvette didn’t want and partner nor did she need one.


	2. Making a Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvette and Briar argue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm continuing this. This chapter is longer than the first one and it's hopefully better, a small heads up, things are going to get confusing over the next few chapters. Since there's going to be mention of information that had been found in the background, and I don't really want to spend like five chapters with just focusing on questioning and interrogations. So only important questions and interrogations are going to be actual chapters. (My explanation sounds really confusing sorry) But like, it will make more sense once the story picks up, anyways, enjoy this chapter.

The phone rang once, then twice and then on the third ring Willa answered the phone, she was hunched over her computer at her desk. She pressed the phone against her ear, holding it up with her shoulder, allowing her to continue with her work. The chief of police didn’t even look to see who was calling her, but counting that the call was coming from her personal phone, this was someone she knew quite well since she rarely gives her personal number out to people. It makes her life easier that way, “Willa Diamond, speaking?” she asked, her nimble figures quickly typing on her keyboard. Willa was a relatively slim woman who had long since started to get into her age, her once brunette hair was now almost white in color, only a few colored strands still remained and her once flawless pale skin was now plagued with wrinkles. She was wearing a pure white business suit that was relatively loose, but not so much that it was baggy, with equally as white work shoes which were pushing up against the inside of her oak desk. 

“Why did you assign me a partner for the Anderson murder case?” Yvette asked, getting right down to the point. The detective was leaning against a nearby wall, her back to the crime scene, she was far enough from the crime scene so no one could overhear her speaking. Though it wasn’t it as if she was putting in much effort to keep her voice down, nor was she trying to mask her frustration, Yvette had a death grip on her phone which she held harshly up to her ear. 

Willa smiled at the sound of her daughter’s voice, “Well hello you too Yvette, I see you met Briar” she pulled her attention from her computer, now leaning back on her black leather chair, changing her grip on the phone that she was now holding in her left hand and her right arm resting underneath her left one. Willa could hear her daughter mumble something under breath, let out a small huff before speaking again. 

“Yes I did meet her, and from what I’ve gotten from her so far she’s pretty incompetent” she hissed out, Willa couldn’t help but roll her eyes, “I mean she spilled coffee on my suit!” 

“You can get it cleaned Yvette, or just replace it, it’s not as if you don’t have the money,” Willa said bluntly, Yvette huffed again and though Willa couldn’t see her daughter, she knew damn well she was clenching her hands in front of her. A way to restrain herself from getting too angry. 

Yvette pinched the bridge of her nose, taking in a sharp breath, “Yes thank you, mother, for that helpful suggestion” she said sarcastically, “But nonetheless, why did you have to partner her up with me, you know I am more than capable of solving cases on my own. I don’t need a partner, especially not one like her, she’s only going to slow things down!” Yvette shouted but was quick to catch herself, quitting herself down she even checked around the corner to see if she caught any unwanted attention. Thankfully everyone else seemed preoccupied with their own jobs, Yvette let out a small sigh of relief. 

“Yvette, I am well aware that you are more than capable of doing things on your own. This is why I assigned you a partner because you need to learn how to work with other people. Not only that but Briar will need someone to teach her, and you seemed like the best candidate to do that, you two are both have an equal intellect and she also is nice, and you aren’t. So perhaps you could learn a few things from her” there was a silence on the other end, Yvette taking slightly aback by her mother’s harshness, “Are you still there Yvette?” 

“Yes I’m still here, but if you want me to learn to ‘work with others’ why didn’t just partner me up with someone with experience. That would have made my life hell of a lot easier” Yvette grumbled out, putting more of her weight onto the wall, she could feel the corner digging into her side but she paid it no mind, “And what makes you think she’s even ready to work this heavy of a case? This is her first day, I wasn’t even doing this type of shit on my first day” she swung her hand behind her, gesturing to the crime scene, not even caring that Willa couldn’t actually see what she was doing. 

Willa chuckled, her daughter always was a stubborn person, though Willa could only assume Yvette got it from her which was one of the many things Yvette got from her mother. She could only imagine the look on Yvette’s face at this moment in time, her brows no doubt furrowed and shoulders raised, she was probably clenching her jaw too in order to restrain herself. Willa, even though she would never admit it, knew that Yvette did have a point, it was foolish for her to assign Briar such an extreme case, but that’s what Yvette was there for. Eventually, Briar would have to deal with cases such as these, and it’s better for her to get a grasp of these types of cases now instead of later. Which was also why Yvette was there, so she could be there for Briar, to teach and her, but Willa couldn’t help but question whether or not Yvette would have been the ideal candidate to do such a thing. She was exceptional at her job, Willa had to give her daughter credit for that, but Yvette wasn’t exactly good when it came to teamwork. She’d always been like this, right from when she was a child, Yvette would always much rather do things on her own than even consider having someone else help her. 

“Well, I’m sorry but you don’t have a choice in the matter Yvette,” Willa said, Yvette, let out a small grunt as she kicked the wall with the heel of her foot. 

Tightening her grip Yvette began to speak again, this time through gridded teeth, “But she’s incompetent” 

“And you're working with her, whether you like it or not, you are going to work with her Yvette. If you’re going to be taking my place one day, you need to learn to work with others and working with Briar will be a good start to that. Who knows, you two might actually get along, perhaps you’ll be able to have a friend beside Penelope” she said, though before Yvette could say her point Willa was quick to jump in again, “I’m terribly sorry Yvette dear, but I have work and so do you. But if you want to call me later, maybe for something that isn’t work-related, I’ll be awaiting your call. Bye Yvette, love you” there was a small click and with that Willa had hung up, Yvette dug her nails into the screen on her photo. Wanting so desperately to throw the small thing but decided against it, taking in a long breath of air as she shoved it back into her pant pocket. She took in a few more breaths, composing herself as she made her way back to the crime scene. 

Her heels were clicked against the wooden floor with every step she took, Yvette’s shoulders were still raised and her brows still furrowed, which gave everyone around her the rightful impression that she was pissed, which she was. She understood what her mother was saying, yes Yvette doesn’t work well with others and yes, it would be in her best interest to get used to working with others, but did her mother need to put her with a new recruit. Briar, who even names their child Briar, already had struck Yvette the wrong way. Not only did Briar already prove her hunch that she was incompetent, but she also was a pushover. Letting Yvette just push past her without saying anything, if she was like this with Yvette, she was going to be even worse with people they would have to interrogate. She’d freeze up no doubt, letting whoever they were looking into walk all over her, leaving it up to Yvette to actually get stuff done. Upon reaching the apartment door, she could already see Briar waiting for her outside in the hallway. She was looking down, looking at something on her phone, Yvette scoffed, she could at the very least be asking Penelope to catch her up. But instead, she was standing outside doing nothing productive. Yvette reached for the door, not even paying the young woman, hoping that Briar wouldn’t look up from her phone and she could just casually enter the apartment without having to deal with her. 

“So, I was thinking that we could perhaps go and start asking other tenants if they know anything that could contribute to the case,” Briar said, turning to look at Yvette who’s hand was still holding the doorknob, she didn’t have a chance to turn the damn nob and Briar was already talking. Yvette took in a sharp breath, turning her head to her left so that she was now looking at Briar who had a ghost of a smile on her face. “I also didn’t get a chance to actually properly introduce myself,” she extended her hand, though Yvette merely looked down at it, her nose scrunching up, had this woman not realized from the first time she tried to shake Yvette’s hand that Yvette didn't want to. When Yvette didn’t take it, Briar let a small nervous laugh escape her lips and she brought her hand back down, “Ok, so you’re not a handshake person, well still, I’m Briar Woods, your new partner in this case. I do hope that we will be able to get along with each other and hopefully find whoever did this and hopefully get some justice for Ms.Anderson” she said hopefully, the smile that she had had now grown, as she looked at Yvette with a somewhat of a childish look in her eyes. Briar waited for Yvette to say something, anything honestly, just so Briar could know that she didn’t already mess up her partnership on her first day. But when Yvette turned around without saying a word, Briar could feel her heart drop in her stomach, she really did mess up didn’t she? 

Yvette turned on her heel, not saying a word to Briar hoping that her silence would give her the message that Yvette wanted nothing to do with her. But when Yvette started to walk away and she heard footsteps following behind her, it seemed that Briar had yet to actually realize that she wasn’t wanted. Yvette clenched her jaw as she pulled out her notepad and pen, which she had remembered to shove in her pant pocket before she left. Though she knew that Briar was following her, that still didn’t stop Yvette from knocking on one of the doors to the apartments that neighboured Ms. Anderson. Briar came up from beside Yvette, smiling up at her, but once again, Yvette paid her no mind. 

There was a rustling from the other side of the door, followed by being slammed open and then slammed close, a voice could be heard from inside too. It sounded female, though it was hard to tell counting that there was also music playing from inside. When Yvette was ready to knock on the door again, the door opened slowly, a young woman poking her head out. She was much shorter than Yvette and Briar, not only that she looked young, a tad bit too young to be living what seemed to be alone. She had short black hair which was clinging to her face, water droplets dripping from it, and counting that only the woman’s head could be seen it was safe to assume that she’d just come out of the shower. Yvette didn’t even know if she was clothed on the other side of the door, the woman squinted at the two detectives, her black eyes darting between them, “Can I help you?” she asked, her voice was high and she spoke with a hit of a British accent. 

“Sorry to disturb you ma’am but I’m Yvette Diamond, this is my partner Briar Woods, we're detectives from the NYPD, we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about Ms.Anderson?” Yvette said sternly, she was now speaking with her work voice which was much deeper than her regular one, it portrays a sense of authority, something that was a necessary aspect for her job. Yvette could also see, in the corner of her eye, Briar brighten up slightly as she was referred to as Yvette’s ‘partner’. If she wasn’t in the middle of speaking to someone, she would have rolled her eyes at the fact. 

“Oh yeah, I forget she got knocked up, you can ask me questions, even though I don’t know much. But can I please, like maybe get dressed first?” she asked, Yvette nodded and the woman closed the door again, she could hear the door lock once it was closed. 

Yvette turned her attention back to Briar who was smiling back at her, “You called me your partner” she said happily, Yvette couldn’t help but scoff, Briar was acting like a damn dog, all happy about getting the approval she so desperately wanted and then when Yvette would refuse to give her any recognition, she would deflate. As Yvette said, she was like a damn dog, one that clearly didn’t know when to leave. An uncomfortable tension settled between the two, Briar looked around the hallway as if hoping to find something that would keep her distracted, whereas Yvette stood in front of the door, arms crossed. 

The door opened again, this time fully, the woman now becoming visible, her hair now wrapped in a white towel whereas the rest was her was being covered by a black sweat top that had paint splatter on it, Yvette took note on the fact that she perhaps was a painter, she was also wearing grey sweatpants that seemed a tad bit too big for her, her feet barely being visible. The woman overall, had a darker skin tone, much like Briars. She moved out of the doorway, gesturing for the two women to enter, which is what they did. Almost immediately Yvette could smell an obscure amount of air freshener, something else that she took note of, no one uses that much unless they were trying to mask the smell of something. Not only that but the music that she had heard from early had ceased, though Yvette brushed it off as nothing. 

The two detectives looked around the apartment, which as an absolute mess, there were paint cans everywhere some of their contents had even managed to spill onto the hardwood floor. There were canvases, both painted and blank ones scratched across the main living area. The only area that appeared to be neat was the kitchen, and even then there were stacks of dirty dishes building up on the counter next to the sink. Yvette, once again took note, this time on how messy the overall apartment was. She questioned how this woman even managed to live a productive life in all this mess but also had had she managed to rent such an expensive apartment if she couldn’t even keep her workspace, which Yvette assumed was the whole apartment, clean. “Can I offer you two anything?” the woman asked, directed them towards the couch, which was thankfully actually clean, not a single stain in sight. 

“We’re alright” Yvette said, cutting Briar in before she could say anything. Briar turned her head to look at Yvette but like always, paid her no mind, she turned back around anything she wanted to say had died within her. The two women took a seat on the couch, though when Briar sat on the far end of the couch, Yvette took the opportunity to do the same sitting on the opposite end, allowing her to sit as far away as she could manage from Briar. She could hear the other detective scoff lightly, which was surprising, Yvette honestly didn’t think Briand had it in her to get annoyed. But clearly, by the body language she was portraying, she was getting annoyed, she was trying to mask it by standing up straight and keeping a smile on her face. Though Yvette could see through her, she knew that she was growing tired of Yvette, which was good because Yvette had long since grown tired of her. 

The woman had returned from the kitchen, a mug in hand, Yvette could smell the coffee from where she sat which brought her attention to the stain on her suit. “Alright, sorry about that, I had just gotten out of the shower...so um, what exactly do you need to ask me?” she asked she pulled out a stool from under the coffee table that was placed in front of the couch. 

“Just some minor inquiry, first, what’s your name?” Yvette asked, taking out her notepad and clicked her pen, ready to write down any details she found important. The woman in question smiled, chuckling which caused Yvette to cock a brown. 

“My name is Liza Wilson,” she said simply.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Liza, I must ask, what do you do for a living?” Briar asked as she cut Yvette off from saying anything further. A kind smile was on her face, which seemed to have made Liza even more relaxed than she even was, the young woman smiled back at her.

“I’m actually still in school, I’m studying psychology. I’m trying to become a forensic psychologist one day, it’s always been something I’ve been interested in since I was a kid. But like I know, my apartment is covered in art supplies, you probably thought I would be studying in art, naw, I honestly hate art actually, but my parents have been breathing down my neck to do something productive...that doesn’t involve schoolwork. It was also the only way for me to get them to pay for the apartment” she shrugged.

“That’s lovely, perhaps one day you’ll end up contributing to a future case after you graduate,” Briar said kindly, now leaning forward, resting her forearms on her thighs, her smile not once wavering. Liza was smiling back at her, though to Yvette it looked more like a smirk, and the way that she was looking at Briar too, it was rubbing Yvette the wrong way. Not that Briar seemed to have cared, or noticed, she just stayed looking at the young woman in front of her, Yvette rolled her eyes, she was making friends with someone they were trying to interrogate. Yvette leaned back onto the couch, her arm dangling off of the edge of the chair, she might as well wait for the two of them to stop and then she could bring everything back to its normal pace. And they could finish the questioning. 

Liza chuckled, “Yeah, maybe, but I doubt that won't be for a while. I'm only in my first year” she said, sighing, “How about you, Briar right? How did you get partnered up with miss grumpy over there?” She tilted her head towards Yvette, who still wasn’t looking at her, but that didn’t mean Yvette wasn’t listening, Yvette wasn’t even being moody at the moment. She was just tired of Briar’s carelessness. Yvette's shoulders shot up when she heard Briar laugh from beside her, she dared to sneak a glance at her partner who had placed her hand over her mouth trying to muffle her laughter. 

“Oh shush, she isn’t grumpy at least I don’t think she is” she spared Yvette a small side glance though Yvette purposely maneuvered herself so it appeared she was looking at something else that was around the room, “So, Liza where were you last night?” Briar asked, clicking her pen, ready to write down Liza’s alibi. 

“I was out at Time Square with some friends, it was my friend Sam’s birthday and the guy wanted all of us to go to a bar and by the end of the night we were all drunk” Liza said simply, “I don’t think I got home until 3 in the morning, and I didn’t wake up until the cops arrived next door...what even did happen to Ms.Anderson. I mean I know she got, killed or whatever, but what the hell exactly happened?” she asked leaning forwards, almost exactly mirroring Briar’s potion. The only difference is that Briar’s legs were tightly close together, though that could be a result of the skirt she wore and she couldn’t have her legs in any other potion, but Liza’s legs were spread apart. That cheeky smirk still on her face. 

Briar gave of Liza an apologetic look, "I’m sorry but I can’t disclose information regarding the crime scene, but I can tell you that whoever did this to Ms. Anderson was a cruel person who we want to put away so they don’t end up hurt anyone else” 

“It’s alright, I honestly don’t think I could stomach seeing a dead body, which is why I give both of you” she now had part of Yvette’s attention, “My full respect, is there anything else you need to ask?” 

It was Yvette’s turn to speak, “Was there anyone who would want her dead, an angry spouse maybe?” Liza shifted her portion on her stool so that she was now facing Yvette, not only that but she closed her legs, thank goodness. 

The young woman thought for a moment, her brows furrowing, “If you’re thinking her husband killed her, I honestly doubt he would”

“Why would you say that?” 

“I mean because they still have their son, sure the dudes like in his late twenties by now. But I highly doubt her ex-husband would kill her, it would cause more damage than good when it comes to his relationship with his son.. I could be wrong though, I honestly don't know much about their family dynamic. Only that she’s divorced, her son is a marriage counselor who has an office across from Central Park and that her ex-husband is in Canada or something. Somewhere where they speak french” Liza shrugged, “If you’re wanting information about the husband, just go to her son’s office, like I said, across from Central Park. Though I would say maybe “book an appointment”” she said as she did small air quotes, “Because from what I get from eavesdropping, her son doesn’t socialize or talk to people unless their client or family. So I don’t think you’ll get much out of him if you just walk in” 

Yvette nodded, writing down a few points mostly regarding her son’s profession and area of work, Central Park wasn’t too far from the apartment. If she was lucky she might be able to stop by and talk to him, hopefully, he’ll cooperate though, “Yes, thank you. Another question, do you know the son’s name?” 

“His name….It’s some fancy fucking name like Xavier or something, though I’m like 99% sure it’s Xavier Anderson or something similar to that” 

“Another question, when you did return home, did you hear any sort of disturbance at all coming from Ms.Anderson’s apartment?” Yvette asked, leaning on her legs, her forearms resting on her own thighs. 

Liza tore her gaze away from Yvette, now looking at the ground for a moment before bringing her gaze back up, she scratched at her left arm, “No I didn’t, I was too drunk to remember anything” lies, Yvette knew she was lying, she could hear it in the woman’s voice which had gotten a tad bit higher. Not only that but her body language had changed, she was scratching at her arm, a tell. 

“Are you sure?” Briar asked, Yvette, turned to look at her, it seemed that she had caught on too, “Because if you do know anything important, anything at all that might help this investigation, we need you to tell us” she said sternly, different from the voice she was using before to speak to Liza. The young woman scratched at her ear before placing both hands neatly in her lap, Liza was still trying to avoid both of their gazes. 

“No, I didn’t see anything, I’m being honest” Yvette scoffed, looking at Briar now who seemed like she was deep in thought. She was probably contemplating how to approach this woman, she was being too nice to her at first, so now Liza isn’t going to take her seriously at least not enough so that she would tell the truth. Yvette rolled her eyes, as she continued to look around the room, she wanted to see if Briar could actually get Liza to talk if she could recover from her mistake. Though as she looked around the room, in the midst of all the dirty dishes Yvette caught sight of a jar, the jar wasn’t empty though, in fact it was full to the brim with what appeared to be weed. She could easily make a comment about it and use it as leverage to get Liza to talk.

“That’s a nice jar of marijuana you got there,” Yvette said, pointing behind her to the jar, Liza whipped her head to look at Yvette and then at the jar. She could hear the young woman curse under her breath, “What do you have it for?” Liza didn’t say anything, “You know it’s illegal to have that in your possession unless it’s for medical purposes”

“Yeah…” Liza trailed off, her hand covering her mouth, Yvette could practically see the gears turning inside her head, trying to think about what to say. 

“Listen, you’re young and I would hate to have to arrest you for that. So how about you just tell me what you saw and I’ll pretend I never saw it” Yvette said simply, “It’s your choice” Briar looked at Yvette, her mouth agape but Yvette merely smirked as Liza slowly began to cave. Her brows furrowing and her eyes darting across the floor, her hand still over her mouth. 

“I saw someone leaving the apartment…” that caught both of the woman’s attention, “I didn’t get a good look at them but I remember seeing someone leaving the room. I honestly thought it was her son or something which is why I didn’t say anything to that” 

“Did you see what they looked like?” Briar asked Liza shook her head, “Are you sure you didn’t see them”

“I’m sure, it was three in the morning, it was dark and all I saw was some dude in a hoodie. That is, that’s all I saw” 

“Are you saying this person is male?” 

“I mean sure, they looked male. But a woman can look masculine if they cut their hair and wear some baggy clothes” Liza sighed out, “That’s all I know, now would you two mind leaving I have classes in an hour I need to finish getting ready” she stood up making her way towards the door, Yvette and Briar followed behind. Though when the two women reached the door, Liza was hunched over her counter writing someone down on a sheet of paper, “Here” she handed it to Yvette, “It’s my friends phone number, so you can have him confirm I wasn’t home during the murder...he doesn’t answer all the time so you might have to call him more than once” 

Yvette took the sheet of paper out Liza’s hand, tucking it in her pocket, “Thank you for your time Ms. Wilson” she said, “Do contact the police station if you have any more information regarding the case”

“Yeah, yeah, sure” she opened the door for them, and the moment the two left she slammed the door behind them, locking it. Yvette was proud of herself, sure what she did was risky and Liza could have flat out shut down and asked them to leave beforehand and they wouldn’t be able to interject. But it seemed that her plan had worked, and they now knew that the killer had left the premises at around three in the morning, which meant that they could check security camera footage for that time and perhaps have a chance to see what the killer looked like. Though Liza’s questioning wasn’t exactly important, that small bit of information and the fact that Ms. Anderson was divorced and her son worked near central park.

“I could have handled her myself, you didn’t need to cut in,” Briar said, from beside Yvette, “I am more than capable of dealing with a minor questioning” Yvette just started walking away, which made Briar scoff as she jogged to catch up with her partner. Yvette took long strides which allowed her to move quicker and get further away from Briar much faster, but to her surprise the woman had grabbed her arm before she could get too far, yanking Yvette back. The older woman spun around, quickly taking her arm out of Briar’s hold, though that still didn’t stop Briar from looking at Yvette, clearly agitated, “I know you don’t like me, and I’m honestly starting to not like you either. But we don’t have a choice, we have to work together” Yvette merely scoffed, “Can you please stop doing that! Just say you don’t like me, just say it to my face, I’m not some child I can handle being told I’m not wanted” 

“Alright, fine. You’re right I don’t like you, I didn’t like you the moment you walked through those doors. You’re right, we are stuck together, but know that I don’t need a partner, I am more than capable of solving this case on my own. I don’t need you” Yvette hissed out, glaring down at Briar who seemed to be taken aback at first, but she was quick to compose herself. 

“You’ll be glad to know the feeling is mutual, because I don’t need you nor like you too, I’m more than capable of solving this case on my own if I wanted to. But unfortunately, I don’t have a choice, and neither do you, so we’re stuck together whether we like it or not. So how about, we maybe try to work together at least until we have an actual proper lead and then after that. You don’t have to speak to me, and I won’t have to speak to you, it’s a win, win situation. So how does that sound Ms. Diamond? You work with me until we have a solid lead and then after that, I’ll back down and you can do whatever you want after that?” Briar proposed extending her hand once again, though this time it wasn’t meant to be a formal introduction, instead to solidify the deal. Yvette contemplated for a moment, the idea was tempting but who knew how long it would take for them to find an actual lead that could lead them to the killer? For all she knew, the two of them would be working on this case for months, or they might not even be able to solve the case, leaving Ms. Anderson’s murder to go cold and unsolved. Then again, if they did find a lead, which was likely counting that Yvette was working on the case, Yvette would be able to be free from Briar and she could solve the case however she wanted. She wouldn’t have to worry about being dragged down nor being constantly bombarded with Briar’s nagging about how to do her job. Yvette could be able to do the case how she wanted, like how it should be, Yvette smiled slightly at the thought. Her being back to her normal freedom and getting all the praise from her mother and her fellow coworkers about how extraordinary it was that she was able to solve such a troubling case. That was how Yvette liked it, so without a second thought, she took hold of Briar's hand, shaking it firmly. Yvette hadn’t even realized how small Briar’s hands were compared to her own, the young detective’s full hand was only a bit bigger than Yvette’s palm. 

“Deal,” Yvette said simply, letting go of her hand before walking away down the hall, “You better keep up on your half of the bargain. The moment we get a lead, you’re off this case” Briar nodded, jogging slightly to catch up with Yvette’s long strides. 

“Don’t worry, I will” Briar muttered out, “ I’ll be out of your hair before you know it...Now what are we going to do now"

"We have more tenants to question"


	3. Son of Greed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvette and Briar talk to Xavier

Two pairs of footsteps could be heard echoing through the hallway, Yvette took long strides with Briar not too far behind. Both women had come to somewhat of an agreement on how they were going to work together on this case, though Yvette was the one to get the advantage in the deal. Yvette could question people however she liked, but if Briar found that she was being too harsh she could step in, only when it was necessary though. It seemed to have worked when they were questioning the tenets but it wasn’t as if there was much information that could have been given by the residence. They only gave the same responses, “No, I wasn’t home”, “I didn’t see anything” or “I was too busy trying to tune out the music” it had seemed like the music that was blasting from the apartment wasn’t just loud. It was excessively loud, from what they had gathered people for two floors above and bellow were able to hear the music. Most of the tenants had even left because of the ongoing noise, which Yvette and Briar assumed that was what the killer wanted. People were so focused on the music that they weren’t paying attention to anything else. Not only that, but it seemed that only three people actually saw someone suspicious leaving the premises. They all matched Liza’s description, with a tad bit more detail, a tall, stocky figure who was wearing both a black sweat top and track pants. They all said it looked male, but they also couldn’t get a good look at the person’s full face, considering that only half of their face was visible. The other half was covered, allowing them to blend in with the pure black outfit they wore and the night sky. The description, though it wasn’t completely detailed it was something, it was a start. 

It wasn’t even as if the two women had been at the investigation for that long, a mere two days, but they were long tiresome days. Especially for Briar who had long since grown tired with working with Yvette, but she didn’t have a choice, something that had been established a while ago. But that doesn’t mean she has to enjoy working with Yvette because she most certainly didn’t enjoy it. She hated it, Briar couldn’t wait for this to all be done so she can be free from Yvette and be able to do things for herself. Until then though, Briar would have to wait. Though it wasn’t as if Yvette enjoyed the situation any more than Briar did, in fact, the older woman too had grown tired of Briar. So much so to the point that she hasn’t actually said anything to her since they questioned Liza, only saying “yes” or “no” to things that Briar would ask. 

The women were heading to speak to Xavier, Ms. Anderson’s son and to tell him of his mother’s untimely death. Yvette told Briar that she was going to have to tell him, much to Briar's dislike, she was forced to give the bad news because of course, Yvette wouldn’t want to do it herself. Briar looked around her, taking in her surroundings, they were walking through a tight hallway that barely even had enough room for the two of them to walk side by side, not that neither of them was complaining. It gave Yvette an excuse to walk ahead and Briar the chance to have a bit of personal space. On either end of the hall, to either the left or right to Briar were doors, leading to offices she assumed, though she was only assuming counting that they were here to speak to Xavier while he was at work, one of these doors led to his office. It was only a matter of which door. From what Briar could find, by herself without any help from Yvette, was that he worked in office 621, which was somewhere on the sixth floor of the ten-story office building. Each door was a light ash color, the room number placed somewhere on the door. 

Briar continued to look around until her eyes drifted to the back of Yvette’s head, her sandy color hair was properly gelled back today. Now sticking up without any strands falling into her face like before, not only that but she was now wearing an outfit that lacked a coffee stain. Though it wasn’t as if she was wearing a suit today, no instead she was wearing a white button-up shirt, a brown leather jacket and black work pants with matching black work shoes. The normally loose top was tucked into her pants, allowing it to hug her figure nicely. Briar had to admit, if Yvette wasn’t such an arrogant pain in her ass, Briar might have actually found Yvette attractive. Afterall, Yvette was attractive with her bold amber-colored eyes, well fit body which went well with her sharp facial features. Briar didn’t exactly have a type but if she did, Yvette would have fallen into it. If she was being honest, when she first saw Yvette, Briar was intrigued, captivated even just by the woman’s looks alone. Though when Yvette spoke, Briar couldn’t help but be captivated even more by Yvette’s stern and commanding voice, Briar, internally, of course, was a mess. She wanted to know more about this woman, Briar longed to hear her speak again. When she found out that the woman was her new partner, Briar couldn’t but be excited, she was going to be able to spend more time with Yvette and hear her speak more. However, Briar’s little trip into heaven was cut short when she realized how much of an asshole Yvette actually was. Now, Yvette’s voice only gave Briar a headache and seeing Yvette is now something that Briar dreaded. 

Yvette stopped suddenly, finally reaching Xavier's office, Briar was too deep in thought that she nearly walked into Yvette. But she was quick to stop herself, stopping right next to Yvette, neither women even looked at each other as Yvette pushed the door open, stepping in. Briar followed behind, having to catch the door with her forearm since the moment Yvette had stepped in, she let go of the door leaving Briar to stop it before it hit her. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, her partner at the very least could have held the door open for her. Apparently, Yvette doesn’t even know common courtesy, not that Briar was surprised. When Briar too had made it into the room, Yvette had already made her way to the reception desk leaning on it slightly as she spoke to the woman who sat on the other side. Briar made her way toward Yvette, standing beside her though Yvette didn’t seem to be fazed by her presence. She just continued speaking, not even giving Briar the time of day. Once again, she rolled her eyes leaving it to Yvette to do the talk, it was not as if she was going to be given a chance to speak. 

“You have to understand that Mr. Anderson is busy at the moment, he has clients right now so if you need to speak to him. You’ll need to wait” the receptionist said, not even looking up for her computer as she spoke to Yvette. The woman was slim, yet she had broad shoulders that were somewhat hidden behind her long black hair. Her hair also fell into her eyes, cutting them off from view. Overall though she had cream-colored skin, which was only a tad bit lighter than Yvette’s. 

“How long would the wait be?” Yvette asked Briar could already tell she didn’t want to wait and frankly neither did she. Since it meant more time with Yvette, the last thing Briar needed at the moment. 

The woman finally tore her gaze away from her computer, brushing her hair out of her eyes, making her chocolate eyes visible as she looked Yvette up and down and then she turned to look at Briar, “Why do you two need to speak to him about some issues?” she asked smugly, gesturing at Yvette and Briar. 

Briar was caught off guard and Yvette clearly was too, her partner’s shoulders shot up as an embarrassed blush spread across her face. Yvette opened her mouth and then closed it, she was speechless. This was the first time Briar had actually even seen Yvette at a loss of words. Which was a perfect opportunity for Briar to speak, “No, we aren’t here to discuss anything between us. We’re detectives from the NYPD, we need to speak to Mr. Anderson about something involving his mother. And I do believe that he would like to speak to us, it’s quite an important matter” Briar said kindly, giving the woman a small smile which the woman returned. 

“Oh! My apologies, it’s just when people come here it’s normally because they need to talk things out. Once again, my apologies Miss, though I don’t know if Mr. Anderson will still be able to speak to you right now. As I said, he’s with clients and these clients are very….they have a lot of problems they did to resolve let’s just say that” she let out a small chuckled, “But I will go ask him, give me a moment” she rose up from her chair, revealing how tall she actually was. She was at the very least taller than Briar and maybe even Yvette, on the topic of Yvette, Briar turned her head to look at her partner. Who was still leaning against the desk she was purposely facing away from Briar.

Briar couldn’t help but let out a small laugh ultimately catching Yvette’s attention, the older woman whipped her head around so that she was now able to glare at Briar, “What’s so funny?” she hissed out, that was the most she’d said to Briar in a while. 

“Nothing,” Briar said simply, a ghost of a smile still on her face. Yvette scoffed before turning back around her back once again facing Briar. The two women stayed silent for a while until the receptionist returned this time with a man walking behind her. The two were relatively the same height, though he seemed to be a bit shorter than her. He had really pale skin though along with heavy bags that laid underneath his caramel-colored eyes, he looked exhausted, to say the least. He also had short dark golden brown hair which had been lazily styled, it was safe to assume that this was Xavier. Briar honestly thought he was going to be younger, but he appeared to be at the very least in his mid-thirties. 

He looked at Briar and then at Yvette and then he leaned down to whisper something into the woman's ear, she nodded as he pulled away. Xavier let out a small groan, “Alrighty” he let out another groan, “You two are the ones that need to speak to me about my mother?” 

“Yes, I’m detective Briar Woods and this is my partner Yvette Diamond” she responded, Xavier nodded slowly before turning around gesturing for the women to follow him which is exactly what they did. This time though, Briar took the lead as Yvette begrudgingly followed behind her, arms crossed and shoulders raised. The two women followed him as they walked through another tight hallway, that was until they reached an open area where three doors could be visible, one right across the room which seemed to be the one that Xavier was heading to and then there were two rooms on either side of the open space. The room to Briar’s left was clearly occupied, the sound of talking, it was more like shouting, could be heard from the inside. Xavier seemed unfazed by the noise, in fact, he seemed to be his own little world, a deadpan expression on his face. It wasn’t until they reached the door did he come to, shaking his head slightly as he reached out for the doorknob pushing the door open. He stepped in, holding the door for both Briar in Yvette though Briar was the only one to say thank you, Yvette just stayed silent, her arms still crossed. 

The room wasn’t small but it also wasn’t big either, it had two black medium-sized couches in it that were placed on either end of the room. An oak table in between them, there was also a black desk which was covered in papers that sat at the very front of the room. Xavier made a beeline to the desk, pushing the office chair to the side, it rolled into the nearby wall. Both Yvette and Briar were standing in the doorway, waiting to be told where exactly they could sit however it appeared Xavier was too busy with digging threw one of his desk drawers until he found what he was looking for. When he did, he let out a small sigh of relief and pulled out a bottle of whiskey along with a mug. He had to be kidding. 

He clearly wasn’t because the first thing he did was pop off the top and pour the whiskey into the mug taking a swing from it a moment later. Xavier finally shifted his attention to Yvette and Briar who were both looking at each of the two of them equally confused. They hadn’t even told him what happened to his mother and he had pulled out a bottle of alcohol, “I don’t do this often, understand that” he grumbled out, “I’m only drinking this because I can’t handle to deal with my mother’s bullshit while I’m sober” Xavier poured himself another glass, he gestured to the couches, “Please do take a seat” he took another swing of his drink before grabbing the office chair pulling it back towards him. Yvette and Briar took a seat, each one of them occupying a different couch which made Xavier chuckle slightly as he took another drink, “You two don’t like each do you?” Xavier took a seat in his chair, leaning back pouring more of the honey-colored liquid into his white mug. Yvette gave Briar a small side glance at the comment, which once again made Xavier chuckle, “Don’t worry, you aren’t my clients so I honestly don’t care about the relationship you two have. But you said you said you’re here because of my mother” he took in a sharp breath, “What did she do this time?” 

Briar looked at him for a moment, visibly confused he thought they were here because of his mother doing something wrong? She looked at Yvette who looked equally confused, her brows furrowing as she positioned herself so that she was now facing Xavier. “Why do you ask that?” Yvette questioned, pulling out her notepad and pen from her jacket pocket. 

“I mean because my mother has been in deep shit before. And this hasn’t been the first time I’ve had to talk to police...but you two aren’t police officers, you're detectives. Would one of you perhaps explain why you’re here if my mother didn’t do anything wrong?” 

Yvette looked at Briar, signaling her to go, “Well you see...your mother has been” Briar paused for a moment looking into Xavier’s eyes, as he took another sip from his mug, “Your mother has been murdered” 

Xavier paused for a moment, before placing the mug down talking the whole bottle of whiskey in hand, a small cup wasn’t going to enough for all of this. “Can you repeat that?” he asked, he had to make sure he wasn’t hearing things because frankly with all the work and lack of sleep he’s gotten. Xavier wouldn’t be surprised if he did mishear, she didn’t actually say that his mother was killed. 

“You’re mother is dead Mr. Anderson. She was found in her apartment two days ago, now do you know anyone who might want to hurt your mother” Yvette cut in, quickly getting right down to the point. She was going too fast and Briar knew it, she couldn’t just get to the point after telling someone their mother just got murdered. At the very least she could have said it nicely instead of spitting out the question, Xavier was going to be in a tender mindset and Yvette didn’t realize that, but Briar did.

“Well fuck,” he said simply, “Alrighty well that’s something I didn’t think I was going to be told today. Alright” Xavier shrugged, taking another long swing of his whiskey, “I’m not drunk enough to deal with this” he mumbled out as he placed the bottle down. He ran his hands over his face, leaning back into his chair which creaked under the newfound pressure. Xavier felt so many emotions building from within him, he was sad of course after all he had just been told that his mother is now dead. But he also felt a sense of relief he was finally free from his mother’s past mistakes, the older man didn’t need to worry about having to be told that he’s a horrible person being related to his mother. Leading him to feel a sense of joy, even though he knows he shouldn’t be happy to know his mother was dead. He couldn’t help it, he was finally able to be free. But his also led him into feeling guilty for wanting little to nothing to do with his mother over the years, sure he still spoke to her, but that was when she reached out to him. Now that he knew she was gone, he felt like maybe he should have spent more time with her. All these feelings bubbled up to the surface, causing Xavier an odd-sounding noise, it sounded like a sob but it also had a hint of a laugh mixed in. He looked up the ceiling, tears slowing slid down his face as he took another swing of the alcohol, “So, you two are here because you have no fucking clue who killed her?” he finally said, still looking up at the ceiling. 

“Yes,” Briar said softly, giving Yvette a glare, making sure that she didn’t jump in because Yvette was the last person that should be speaking to Xavier when he’s like this. He was clearing still in the process of understanding what’s happened and Yvette was in no way fit to know how to deal with someone like this, “Are you alright Mr. Anderson?” she knew he wasn’t fine, but she still needed to ask it before she continued questioning him.

“I mean, sure ....so you want to know the people who would want her dead because I can list a few,” he said harshly, both women leaned forward waiting for him to continue, “My mother is” Xavier paused, “was a person who enjoyed money. Dare I say she loved it, I mean she clearly cared more about it then she did for me and her reputation” 

“Could you elaborate on that?” 

“Which part, the fact that she neglected me when I was a child or the fact that she fucked up her reputation?” Xavier questioned as he pushed himself up, brushing away the tears. 

“Both, if you wouldn’t mind” 

He took in a sharp inhale, “Fuck me, alright. Well, let’s start first, with me. I’m not much of a narcissist but my mother was and I am not joking when I say that. My mother, to put it nicely, was a bitch who cared more about making and getting money than she cared about me. She spent more time out of the house working than she did inside the house but that was fine until she fucked my entire family over. She was given a case, some murder case. She was meant to be the judge for it, you know to determine whether or not the murderer was going to be found guilty or not. But of course, my mother, with her greedy mindset, took a bribe from the defense to sway her verdict. She found him 'not guilty' and of, of course, people were upset but people were even more enraged when they found out she took a bribe and that she’s the reason a clearly guilty murderer got released into the world” Xavier took another swing, “Is there anything you want to know?”

Briar nodded, “Yes actually, do you know the name of this murder case? I could be of importance?” 

“Yeah, it was the Paula Brown case,” Xavier said simply, "I don't know much about the case since I was too busy with school when it happened, I just know it was a heavy case. The poor girl had suffered a lot before she died, and I would be lying if I said I didn't too hold it against my mother for letting the killer go free" he looked at the two women, "Can you tell me whether or not she suffered, before she died?" his voice softened when asked the question, deep down he hoped that it was a quick death, though he also had a feeling. Judging by the look Yvette and Briar were giving each other that his mother didn't pass quickly. 

Yvette spoke this time, "She had hot oil poured on her, it's up to you whether or not that classifies as suffering or not" the way she said it was what caught Xavier off guard, her voice lacked any form of emotion. Silence followed, Xavier contemplated whether he should say something, perhaps a snarky comment to hide the small feeling of hurt that had begun to build up from within him. Though before he could even open his mouth, Briar slammed her hands down onto the couch in which she sat on, the sudden noise took Xavier by surprise.

"Are you kidding Yvette, could you be anymore blunt!" Briar hissed out, "He's just been told his mother was murdered and you're treating it as if it's nothing"

Yvette scoffed as she crossed her arms, returning Briar's glare, "Do you want me to treat him like a child, his older than both of us for fuck sake, he doesn't need to be babied! We came here for one reason and one reason only, to get more information on who might want to kill Ms. Anderson, not to watch the man cry over his dead mother" she spat out, gesturing at Xavier who had long since leaned far back into his chair taking in the scene in front of him. It was as if he was dealing with one of his clients, both arguing about something that they had a different perspective on. One enjoyed things being straight forward, once the goal at hand was achieve it was time to move on whereas the other wanted to make sure everything was done properly no matter how long it took. If only they just talked about their perspectives and found a common ground, Xavier always found that to be the best solution to his clients problems. But then again, these weren't his clients.

"Honestly Yvette, you wanted me to tell him about his mother's murder so why won't you just let me keep talking and continue what I was saying"

"Because you said your part, now it's back to me that's what we agreed on"

"That what you agreed on! You didn't even let me have a choice" Briar shouted, "I haven't had a choice about anything because you want to in charge of everything. This isn't your investigation, it's ours" Yvette merely scoffed, pushing herself up from the couch, storming her way towards the door. She was ready to open the door, her hand wrapped firmly around the golden doorknob, "And now you’re leaving!”

Yvette whipped her head so that she was now looking at Briar. "You said you wanted to do talk, then talk to him! I'm going to her workplace, I'll see you tomorrow Ms. Woods" with that Yvette yanked open the door, it slamming into the nearby wall as she stormed out leaving Briar behind.


	4. Lust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another body is found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post, online school has been a pain but here is this short chapter. The next one will hopefully be long and I'll hopefully have it out in the next few days

Yvette could feel her phone vibrating in her jacket pocket, but she tried to ignore it and focus on the road, it was no doubt her mother. She wouldn’t be surprised if Briar had gone to complain to her about Yvette, she just seemed like that type of person. The very thought of her partner made Yvette want to slam her head into the steering wheel but instead, she merely tightened her grip on it, trying to distract herself from her phone. Even though she had long since left the office building, Yvette could still hear Briar’s voice echoing in the back of her head, her constant whining and nagging had gotten on Yvette’s last nerve. Couldn’t she just take the hint that Yvette just wants her to stop talking, to just back down and let her do her job? After all, out of the two, Yvette had far more experience and didn’t try to befriend every person she questioned. Sooner or later though, Briar is going to be hit with the realization that she won’t get answers just by being friendly. That at times she’s going to have to be harsh but of course, being the naive woman that she is Briar doesn’t want to realize that until it’s far too late. Yvette should know, she used to be just like her. 

When the vibrating finally did stop, Yvette let out a sigh of relief but it was cut short when it started going off again. The young detective took in a sharp inhale, it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon at least not until she decided to answer the phone. Begrudgingly Yvette pulled her car over, put it into park, and then pulled out her phone, as she expected it was her mother who was calling her. She shifted her position slightly as she answered the phone, pressing it against her ear, “Yes mother?” she asked, awaiting her mother’s response. 

“I’ve been calling you for the past five minutes Yvette” Willa hissed out causing Yvette to wince slightly at her mother’s tone. She was definitely angry at her, Yvette braced herself awaiting Willa’s shouting however to Yvette’s surprise she only let out a small sigh. Stopping herself from losing her temper, “Is Briar with you?” 

“No…” Yvette said softly, her words trailing off. 

Willa took in a long breath of air, “Why isn’t she with you Yvette? Weren’t you two supposed to be working together, as I had said?” Yvette opened her mouth, before closing it again. Would it be wise to tell her mother that her and Briar had gotten into a disagreement and that Yvette stormed out and left so she didn’t have to deal with Briar any longer. It wouldn't be a wise decision because Willa would no doubt get upset with Yvette. Most importantly her mother had the power if she so much as wanted to, she could remove Yvette for the case and give it solely to Briar. That was something Yvette didn’t even want to think about happening, it had been so long she’d work a case like this and she wasn’t about to just let a new recruit take that away from her. If that did happen, Yvette could just see the smug look on Briar’s face upon finding out she wouldn’t need to work with Yvette anymore, that she won between the small rivalry the two had started to develop. Yvette couldn’t let that happen, she wouldn’t let that happen, Yvette would much rather be dead then have to give in to what Briar wants. “Yvette are you still there?” 

Yvette was thrown out of her train of thought, “She just isn’t here, we decided to split the work. She’s questioning Ms. Anderson’s son and I’m going to her workplace” it wasn’t a complete lie, they two were splitting the work, it just wasn’t something the two of them agreed on. It was more Yvette wanted it, and Yvette went to do it leaving Briar with no choice. 

“Is that so? So if I call Briar and ask her if you two decided on splitting the work, she would agree with you?” Yvette didn’t say anything which made Willa let out an exasperated sigh, “We had talked about this already Yvette, you have to work together with her”

“She isn’t easy to get along with mom! She’s the one who’s making this difficult, if she just let me take the lead everything would be fine” Yvette said harshly, slamming her free hand down onto her steering wheel.

“You sound like a child Yvette” Willa spat, “I know you don’t like this, but if you haven’t understood from the first dozen times I’ve said it, but you don’t have a choice. You are only making this harder for the both of you if you keep trying to fight with her Yvette, you two aren’t going to find who killed Ms.Anderson if you two are always so busy bickering with each other. The faster you learn to work with her, the faster it’s going to be to solve this case and then you won’t have to work with her again” Yvette scoffed at her mother’s comment, “Yvette, I’m not going to repeat myself. But since you two aren’t currently together, you’ll be happy to know you get to go, alone, to another crime scene. There was another murder” 

“What?” Yvette breathed out, “How do you know they're connected and that this murder isn’t just something unrelated?” it wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened, killings have taken place weeks even days apart and be in no way correlated. It’s not as if Manhattan was the safest place in the world, people get killed every day, that’s just how life works. 

“Because call it a hunch. From the way the crime was committed, it sounded a bit too similar to what took place with Ms. Anderson. Not only that but the body was found not too far from where the other body was found, which could mean that the killer lives in the area. I’ve sent you the address” 

“Do you want me to go now?” 

“Yes, I was hoping you would. And at some point I expect you to tell Briar because I’m not” 

“But isn’t it your job to inform us about these types of things?” Yvette asked. 

“Indeed, but since you don’t feel the need to do your job properly. I don’t feel the need to do mine properly, use this as an opportunity to perhaps apologize to Briar. But I can in no way force you to do that Yvette, so it’s up to you whether or not you want to do the right thing. That’s all I had to tell you, so I’m going to be off, I do expect you to tell Briar about this second murder though, as your boss I am forcing you to do that” before Yvette could interject, Willa had hung up the phone leaving Yvette with her mouth open, wanting to put in her final retort. She contemplated if she should call her mother back, but decided against it instead she went to open her messages and as her mother had said, there was the address. Yvette clicked on it, bringing up a map of where it was, much to her surprise the address was for a small house that was just outside of central Manhattan, a twenty-minute drive at the most. With one final glance at her phone, Yvette shoved it back into her jacket pocket and began to make her way to the crime scene. She’ll tell Briar later. 

\----------------

Upon reaching the house, Yvette couldn’t help but be taken aback at the scene in front of her. The house was burnt down, the entire inside of the house exposed the climates. Though it wasn’t as if there was much of an inside, from what Yvette could see from the inside of her car was that everything inside, much like everything outside was a charcoal color. Ashes littered the still somewhat grassy lawn, only the parts that were closest to the house had been burnt into a dark brown color. Neighbors crowded around the little that remained of the house, all of them muttering things to one another. Asking one another if they knew what happened, much like what was happening at the apartment complex. However as Yvette looked closer, she was starting to see that they were all looking at something in particular. Much like the house was black in color, only parts of red chucks could be visible reaching out from under the burnt outer layer. It looked also like a scarecrow, counting that it was hung up like one but the longer Yvette looked at it, she started to realize it was far too big to be a scarecrow, that was when it hit her. That was a body, the body of whoever had been killed was out on display for everyone to see. Even though the police were clearly trying to usher the residence away, they all seemed to be fixed to the ground. All of them looked in either horror or disgust at the body that was placed in front of them. 

Yvette was quick to park her car across the street and step out, taking long strides until she had reached the scene, now fully able to see the body. Part of the person’s flesh had begun to peel off in the summer sun, revealing a pinky underlayer that seemed to shine slightly in the light. She pushed residence aside and ducked under the police tape, now being able to be right in front of the clearly burnt body. It also stank of gasoline and burnt flesh, but most importantly, the body lacked a lower half. Only the upper body of the victim was strung up, which also meant that some of the stomach organs were dangling out too. The soggy organs were still coated in blood from deep within the body, she looked the body up and down, the cut which seemed to be right below the abdomen was messy. The cut wasn't smooth, no inside it was ridged and zigzag like. Yvette covered her mouth as she looked away, this was far worse than what happened to Ms. Anderson, at least for her at least the body was indoors, not out on display. Allowing the decomposing flesh to heat up in the hot sun which only made the smell worse.

She looked around, hoping to find someone to help explain what was happening, and much to Yvette’s relief she could see Penelope’s bright pink hair poking out among the crowd of police officers and scientists. Yvette pushed past the other people who were around the body, making her way towards Penelope, “What happened here?” she asked, taking hold of Penelope’s shoulder, the other woman's back was to her. 

The young scientist jumped back slightly, once again not realizing Yvette had arrived, she really needed to start paying more attention, “Yvette, thank god you’re here” she let out a sigh of relief, turning around so that she was now facing Yvette, “ Put these on” she handed Yvette a pair of gloves, “And this is for you” Penelope said, pulling out a piece of lined paper which she had pulled out of her pocket. Yvette cocked a brow at the sight of the paper, “I don’t know what it is, it was here when we arrived here. All I know is that it’s addressed to you and Briar….where is Briar?” 

Yvette took the gloves out of Penelope’s hand, putting them on before taking the piece of paper, “Did the killer leave this?”

Penelope merely shrugged in response, “I assume so, it was taped to the house when we got here. But Yvette, that body, we can find the lower half. It wasn’t in the house and it isn’t on the premises, we’ve check which means the killer took the lower half and put it somewhere else or they-”

“Took it with them as a souvenir” Yvette said, cutting Penelope off, “But why would they want to take the lower half, the upper half is what holds all the important information. Like dental records we would use to identify the victim, it would have been in their best interest to take that part to make it hard to find out who was killed. Unless do we already know who the victim is?"

Penelope shook her head, “The house has been vacant for months apparently, no one is meant to be living here”

Yvette furrowed her brows as she unfolded the piece of paper, “It’s a letter” she breathed out, “The killer left a letter” 

“You’re kidding, let me see,” Penelope said, making her way beside Yvette and as she had said, what was written on the paper was a letter. A very lengthy letter, which was handwritten, “You have to be shitting, the killer was dumb enough to write this letter by hand” 

Though Yvette wasn’t listening to what the young woman was saying, instead she was far too focused on the content that was written in the letter. The writing was messy in some parts but neat in others, whoever had written it seemed to have pressed too hard on certain areas because some letters ended with a small hole in the paper. It was still legible, which was all Yvette cared about at the moment. 

_To Detectives Yvette Diamond and Briar Woods_

_It’s a pleasure to have the honor of working with the two of you on this little murder case, though I must correct myself when I say little. Because I assure you what I plan to do is going to have quite a high body count, of course, my murders are going to be nothing when it comes to the likes of popular serial killers but I do intend to try my best and I hope you too will do the same. However, I want this to be a fun experience for all of us, which is why I’ve decided to have us play a game of guess who. But before I get into that, I think it would be best I explain something, since you both no doubt have questions. To begin, I’m not planning on committing mass murder, because I honestly just don’t have the time, I have a life to live you know? Instead, I’m just going to be committing seven murders, one for each sin, Lust, Sloth, Pride, Anger, Greed, Envy and Gluttony (the list isn’t in order of my killings btw, just thought I’d add that. Wouldn’t want to confuse you two). Now here’s the kicker, as I said, I have a life and I don’t really feel like devoting lots of my time to doing this, so I’ve decided to just dedicate a month to my killings. This means that you two have a time limit, a month is a lot of time though and by the end of that month, I intend to finish my killings and then reveal my identity to the world! Of course, that is if you two don’t find out who I am fist, which leads me to the next part of my killings, the game!_

_As I said before, I want this game to be fun so we’re playing guess who! When you two, and I mean both of you, this game isn’t going to be much fun if only one out of the two of you aren’t wanting to participate. This isn’t an ask, I’m telling the two of you to get along because I want this game to be perfect and fun which means that it needs all its players. If you don’t want to participate, I will make my murders go at a faster rate, meaning you’ll have less time to figure out who I am and I’ll have less time to devote to this whole thing. But back to the topic at hand, the game, I’ve always believed that killers never put effort into their killings, of course, they think about who they want to kill but I feel like they never take it seriously. I take it seriously though, it’s like an art project, with art there is always a story to tell. Whether that is a happy tale about love or a sad story about loss and betrayal. Like art, my killings will tell a story too, it’s just up to you two to figure it out. I will be leaving minor hints (only when they’re necessary) to help you two figure about my tale and with that information, figure out who I am. However, this isn’t the game, no the game is more you two have to guess who I am based on details I’ll leave behind at each of the crime scenes. These will hopefully help you, and will hopefully make the game more fun. It’ll be like a scavenger hunt! I always did love scavenger hunts when I was a child, I used to always be the one to hide the stuff, just like what I’m doing now. Now that I think about it, this is going to be a trip down memory lane for me, which is going to make this that much easier._

_Now onto the final part, who is this burnt body that I’ve left on display? Well, that’s Josh Jackson (fucking stupid name if you ask me) his friends called him JJ. He’s in the system already so I don’t have to tell you much about him and trust me, he deserves the title of lust. But I’ll leave you two to figure out why._

_One more thing before I sign off my murders will get progressively worse the further I get down I list, up until I reach my final killing. If you want insight on how my victims are going to die, I recommend taking a look at some religious works (hint, hint, the bible) I’m not religious myself, counting that what I’m committing is one of the worst sins there are, taking another life. I’m a sinner, just like the people who I’m killing, perhaps that could be my alias, “The Sinner” has a nice ring to it. Also, my murders, as I said you have to find out which sin belongs to which victim, but I’ll help you with my first two killings, take it as a thank you gift for participating! Cheryl Anderson was killed for having an unhealthy obsession with money, thus making her greed. JJ was killed because he had a sick way of think of sex, giving him the title of lust. Btw, like the severity of my killings, matching the sins (but more so finding the reason why that person was given that sin) to the person is going to get harder. This is why I can’t stress more that you have to find out the story behind my killings and then, and only then will everything make sense. I look forward to us getting to know each other even better._

_Signing off,_

_The Sinner_

Yvette looked down at the letter in disbelief, the killer was so relaxed about all of this. They didn’t seem to portray even the slightest bit of regret in their writing, they lacked empathy, which made them even more dangerous to people in the outside world. Not only that but a time limit of one month, there was no way Yvette was going to be able to solve this murder in one month. It took her at least two months in order to get a proper lead and a shred of strong evidence against them in order to prosecute them but now she was going to have to worry about seven murders. She was going to have to manage her time well, from questioning to going through evidence and following up with leads. This was going to an overwhelming amount of work for her. But then again, she had Briar, she mentally cursed at the thought of her partner. The killer wanted them to work together, but why? What would they have to gain from Yvette and Briar working together? If they do end up working together, the investigation would go a lot quicker, boosting the likelihood of catching the killer before they finish their murders. Unless the killer wants to be caught, after all, they did admit they planned to come forward once all seven murders were committed but that still left a burning question in the back of Yvette’s mind. Why? 

She could only assume that the answer to that question would come with time, and time was at the essence which meant that Yvette was going to have to get her priorities straight. Also meaning, no matter how much she disliked the thought of it, she was going to have to work together with Briar on this case.


	5. Clue #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvette and Briar go looking around

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so two updates in one week. This chapter is short, I know, sorry about that, I know I said it was going to be longer. But I just wanted to say, if you're confused by the title, yes even though this is the first clue that been outright found. This isn't the first clue that the killer has left. It just hasn't been established that it's one of the clues yet.

Briar stared down at the letter, not listening to a word Yvette was saying. Her partner had called her, though Briar had no idea how Yvette got her phone number in the first place and told her to come to a crime scene. She was lucky, she had just finished up with Xavier when she got the call. She’d manage to get a fair amount of information out of him, without Yvette there Xavier had clearly relaxed and started to go into excessive detail about his mother and the little information he knew about the Paula Brown case. His mother wasn’t a nice person, that was something Briar picked up on very quickly. Ms. Anderson never owned up to her mistake unless it was necessary and even when she did she’d drag her son into her problem, in hopes of getting the unwanted attention away from her and onto Xavier. Apparently that’s why her husband divorced her, in order to get their son away from her so that he wouldn’t have to deal with her and instead focus on more important tasks. Though, the thing that intrigued Briar the most was the case his mother was given, from what Xavier had told her, what happened to Paula was quite brutal. Of course, he didn’t elaborate on what happened to her, but instead, he focused on the aftermath of the killing. It had been suspected that there were three people involved, though they could only get evidence for one out of the three suspects. That wasn’t what intrigued Briar though, no instead it was the fact that there was someone who witnessed the whole ordeal go down. But they refused to say anything about it, they refused to testify or give any sort of information whatsoever, that would make sense though considering it was rumored to have been a child who saw everything. Briar felt bad for anyone who had to see such a thing let alone a child, they must have been terrified. 

“Are you listening to a word I’m saying?” Yvette asked Briar jumped slightly at the sudden noise tearing her gaze away from the letter so that she was now looking up at Yvette, shaking her head. Yvette scoffed as she pinched the bridges of her nose, “What I was trying to tell you is that whoever is doing this thinks this is some sort of game and I’m asking you if you’re going to be playing along?” 

Briar furrowed her brows, “From what’s written in the letter, I would say we don’t have a choice in the matter” she said bluntly, “Besides, it’s not as if there are many rules to the game. We just have to work together and find these hints and with these hopefully find the killer. Why are you not wanting to play along?” she knew the answer to her question already, of course, Yvette didn’t want to play along with the one rule that was given. It involved them working together, something that her partner has made clear time and time again that she doesn’t want to do. Yet Briar still hoped, deep down at Yvette would realize that they really don’t have a choice now, that she would stop being petty and just work with Briar. It would make both of their jobs easier in the end. 

Yvette looked away from Briar, her amber-colored eyes now focusing solely on the body that was now being taken down from the wooden blank it was tied to. She didn’t want to work with Briar, she really didn’t but she also didn’t want to let another five innocent people get killed, Yvette had messed up once on a case, she didn’t want to do it again. Yvette didn’t want their blood on her hand, and she was sure Briar didn’t either. “No, I’m playing along” she took in a sharp breath, “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but we’re going to have work together on this” 

Briar looked at Yvette in disbelief, she’s actually fine with work with her. But how was Briar to be sure that Yvette didn’t just mean she’d let Briar tag along like what it was before. “Alrighty, well I say that we perhaps update the deal that we had before” Yvette turned her attention back to her, “We are going to be working together that doesn’t mean you get to lead this whole thing, that means that we both work on this case. So, I want you to promise that you’re going to let me do my job, just like how I intend to let you do yours. I want you to let me use my strengths in this investigation, and I’ll let you use yours. I want us to coexist without us arguing about the smallest things, let's start fresh, is that fair Ms.Diamond?” Briar asked, looking up at Yvette who seemed to be deep in thought. Briar expected her to brush her off or maybe say that she doesn’t like one of the terms in the deal but much to her surprise Yvette nodded extending her hand. 

“You’ve got yourself a deal Ms.Woods,” Yvette said, Briar could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile appear on Yvette’s face. If Briar wasn’t seeing things, she had to admit that Yvette looked far better when she was smiling that when she was scowling. Briar took Yvette’s hand, shaking it, “But I do have one condition” Briar mentally cursed, of course, there was something wasn't going to like, “Can you stop calling me Ms.Diamond, that’s what people call my mom. Can you just call me Yvette, it’ll be a lot easier” Briar couldn’t help but look up at Yvette with an emotionless face, she was kidding right? Two hours ago the two of them were arguing but now Yvette was trying to be friends with her, and all it took was a damn letter. If Briar had known that she would have written one herself, just to save herself the trouble. She honestly didn’t believe what she was hearing nor what she was seeing either, Yvette had never smiled before, she’s never been nice to Briar before yet here she was. It was as if a switch had gone off in the other woman’s head and Briar questioned if that was a good thing or not. Sure, it was nice to have Yvette being somewhat approachable now, but now Briar couldn’t help but feel like this was some sort of trap. Like Yvette was planning on gaining her trust and then waiting for her to slip up and use it to her advantage, that was something Briar definitely wouldn’t put past Yvette to do. “What’s with the face?” Yvette asked, and dare Briar say she sounded concerned. 

“Why are you all of a sudden being nice? I mean, a few hours ago you weren’t even speaking to me let alone letting me call you by your first name. So what are you playing at Yvette?” she asked as she cocked a brow and crossed her arms. 

The smile that was present on Yvette’s face fell, was now being replaced with a small frown. Yvette took let out a long, drawn-out sigh before speaking, “Yes, I know we haven’t gotten along that well for the past few days-”

“That’s not my fault, you’re the one who wanted nothing to do with me. I mean you said it yourself, you don’t like me and you don’t need me. And I honestly don’t trust this sudden shift in your personality, I mean you clearly don’t seem like the type of person to just suddenly start liking people because you were told to. Not only that but you’re agreeing with me, you’ve never agreed with me, well that’s not true you agreed with that one time but that was when you had something to gain. Which is why I can’t help but question if you have an ulterior motive” Briar said bluntly, shrugging. 

Now it was Yvette’s turn to have a blank look on her face, it was as if she was still trying to process what Briar had said and come up with a reasonable answer. One that would hopefully not make her sound like a complete asshole, she was going to have to choose her response carefully, “I understand where you might get that idea from, but I assure you, I have no other motives besides just wanting this case to be solved. And the only way we’ll be able to do that, is if we work together because I want to catch this person just as much as you do” Yvette paused for a moment, “Of course I know, even as I say this you aren’t going to believe me but I want to apologize for how I acted. You don’t have you forgive me, but just do know that I am sorry” 

Briar looked Yvette up and down, contemplating whether or not the other woman was actually being genuine or not. She sounded genuine, though Briar had to admit when it came to their line of work faking emotions was something they did almost on a daily basis. But then again, what did Briar have to lose if she expected Yvette’s apology, it’s not as if Yvette is able to push her out of her job anymore. With the threat the killer left, both of them would be affected greatly if Yvette kept being ignorant. Not only that, but it would only decrease the chance of them catching the killer, and as Yvette said, they both wanted to catch them. They both had the same goal at the end of the day, “You’re forgive Yvette” Briar said bluntly. Her voice was stiff and stern, even though she said she’d forgive Yvette, that didn’t mean that she was just going to forget about how much of a headache she’d been for the past few days. Before Yvette said anything else though, Briar interjected putting her hand up to stop Yvette, “Though by that I mean you’re somewhat forgiven, you’re going to have to prove that you mean what you say. I mean, I can’t just take your word for it, you’re going to have to put those words into action and then, and only then will I completely forgive you” she said, as she brushed past Yvette, “Now how about we actually get back to work. We’re losing valuable time with us just talking” she didn’t so much as spare Yvette another look as she began to make her way throughout the crime scene, she knew that Yvette was following behind her. Much to her surprise, she honestly thought that Yvette would have just stayed put, and perhaps gotten a bit huffy over Briar’s comment. 

Normally Briar was a very forgiving person, it was just how she was raised. Her parents always taught her that holding a grudge against someone took far more of a toll on her than it did the other person. That it would be better to just let go, and move on. However, when it came to Yvette, that was a different story. Of course, she’d enjoyed hearing Yvette say sorry for everything that she’s done. But that still doesn’t mean that she didn’t do those things and she would have no doubt continued what she was doing if it wasn’t for the letter. That was what got under Briar nerves because deep down she knew that the only reason that Yvette agreed to fully work together with her was for her own personal gain. After all, if she refused to comply, the killer would just be moving at a faster rate, which would have made her job a lot harder. Yvette didn’t care about working together with Briar, she only cared about her job staying maintainable and easy. That was why Briar hadn’t fully forgiven Yvette, not until she actually started acting like she meant what she said. When that happens, Briar will be satisfied and all will be alright. But right now, that wasn’t Briar nor Yvette’s main priority. Right now they need to focus on finding even the smallest amount of evidence that could help them find the killer. 

Briar contemplated where she should go first if she should go where the body was and see if there is anything important on or around it, or if she should perhaps check around the house. At least what was left at the house, she thought for a moment, slowing her steps. Her mind began to go elsewhere, there are so many things she could be focusing on that it was somewhat overwhelming. She’d never done this before so it was all new, Briar thought about what would be the most important thing to find throughout this whole crime scene. She could focus on finding the clue the killer had hidden, that would be something important to focus on. Yet where would something like that be hidden, it wouldn’t be on the body because that would be too easy and the killer clearly wanted all of this to be a challenge. It could be in the house, Briar shifted her attention to the burnt down home that laid in pieces to her right. It was a start. 

As she neared the house she could hear the footsteps behind her come to a halt, Briar turned her head to look at Yvette who had stopped a fair bit away from the house. Her eyes fixated on something above Briar, at first Briar couldn’t see what it was when she looked up at it and it wasn’t until she took a few steps back. So that she was now standing next to Yvette when she saw it, it was something shiny that was dangling on one of the burnt planks of wood. It was too high up for the two of them to make out exactly what it was and the glaring sun wasn’t making it any easier. “What is that?” Yvette asked as she squinted her eyes to try to focus on the small object. 

“I don’t know…” Briar breathed out, she wanted to know what it was though. It could be something important, but how were they going to reach it. Briar looked around her, were there any ladders? No, there weren’t, and it was too high for either of them to reach on their own. That’s when an idea popped in Briar’s head, the killer wanted them to work together and the object was high enough off the ground that if one of them would stand on the other's shoulders. They could probably be able to reach it, but just by looking at Yvette, Briar knew that she wouldn’t be unable to support her weight. This meant that Briar would have to stand on Yvette’s shoulders and she honestly didn’t know if she trusted the other woman that much. But what other choice did she have, for all she knew that could be one of the clues left by the killer. “Yvette, can I stand on your shoulders?” Briar questioned, pointing up at the shimmering object, “If I stand on your shoulders I could be able to reach it” 

Yvette turned her attention to Briar, her brows furrowed, she wasn’t being serious right. There were people watching and for Briar to stand on her shoulders would be unprofessional. Not only that, but Yvette's clothes weren’t exactly cheap and she didn’t like the idea of dirtying up her jacket or her shirt. She also didn’t like the idea of having someone else using her as a ladder, it was degrading, someone like her shouldn’t have to do such things. Then again, the killer did say they had to work together and Yvette couldn’t help but have a feeling like they did this on purpose. To put it too far out of reach that neither of them could reach, but close enough that with their height combined they could reach it no problem. The killer was probably laughing at them right now, watching as their plan unfolds. Yvette took in a long breath before nodding her head, “Alright fine, but you’re taking off your shoes” she pointed out, Briar didn’t say anything. Instead, she merely rolled her eyes as she began to take off her black heels and tossing them aside. Upon taking them off, she turned back to look at Yvette, now barefoot. “Thank you” with that Yvette began to make her way closer to the object so that she was right underneath it, bending over slightly now looking directly at the ground, she felt stupid. She waited for a moment, though before she could say anything she felt Briar starting to climb on top of her shoulders. At first, she was taken aback by how heavy Briar actually was, at first she’d believed that Briar was light but now she was starting to come to the conclusion very quickly that that wasn’t that case. When Briar was actually securely on Yvette’s shoulders, she began to slowly start to straighten, now feeling Briar’s full weight on her. Yvette wobbled at first, she could feel Briar doing the same so before she could do anything else Yvette took hold of Briar’s ankles. In order to keep the other woman from falling over, and in order to keep herself from falling over Yvette widened her stance slightly. Yvette already could feel her coworker’s eyes on her, and she hated it. 

Briar reached out for the object, which she was now able to see was a golden lighter, that had a white string tied around it, which was what was keeping it connected to the board. As Briar took hold of it, untying the string she couldn’t help but notice something else on the board. Further down, there was what appeared to be a burnt-out cigarette. The killer must have forgotten it there, and perhaps, if she was lucky, the killer's DNA was left on it. However, it was out of her reach, “Yvette I need you to move forward a bit” she called down, she could hear Yvette scoff below but thankfully she did what Briar asked. Slowly, Briar began to get closer to the cigarette, now it was just barely out of reach, “A little bit more” 

“Briar you aren’t exactly light, I can’t keep moving or I’m going to end up dropping you” Yvette hissed out as she tightened her grip on Briar’s ankles. 

“I just need you to move one more step, Yvette,” Briar said, as she tried to reach out for the cigarette, but once again it was still just out of grasp. Yvette, much to her dislike, took one more step forward which allowed Briar to reach forward to take hold of the cigarette. “I got it!” she cheered, as she swung her arms up in the air and for a split second forgetting where she was. Briar could feel herself slowly starting to fall back, she braced herself for her ineffable collision with the ground. To her surprise though, instead of being met with the cold hard ground, she found herself in Yvette’s arms. The other woman had quickly stepped backward when she felt Briar falling backward and took it upon herself in a split-second decision to try and catch Briar. Thankfully she did just that. 

Both women just stayed there for a moment, neither of them knowing exactly what to do. Briar had never been in this type of situation before, does she say thank you or does she just stand up and walk away like nothing happened? Yvette wasn't looking at her, instead, she seemed to have been looking everywhere but where Briar was. Briar had never noticed before, but Yvette had freckles. Though there weren’t many, there were more than enough that dotted Yvette’s nose and cheeks. She looked nice with freckles, they added a soft touch to her sharp facial features. Briar somewhat wanted to touch them, but decided against it and instead pushed herself off of Yvette. Now standing back on the ground. “It was a lighter” 

“What?” Yvette questioned, turning her attention to Briar. 

“The thing that we saw up there was a lighter,” she opened up her left hand, in her palm the golden lighter which glistened in the sunlight and the burnt cigarette. Yvette looked down at it, plucking it out of Briar’s hand, she paid no mind to the cigarette though. Which was understandable. She looked the small thing up and down, before opening it a small flame coming out of it. “Do you think it’s the killer’s?” Yvette didn’t say anything, instead she just stared down intensely at the lighter, flicking the lid open and close. She was too deep in thought, her eyes burning a hole in the object. Yvette's brows were furrowed as she kept looking at the lighter, almost as if she recognized it, “Yvette?” Briar asked, waving a hand in front of her partner’s face. 

That caught her attention, Yvette tore her gaze away from the lighter, “Give the cigarette to Penelope, I’m going to be right back” she said, though before Briar could say anything else Yvette turned on her heel. Briskly walking away as she pulled out her phone from her pocket, she was calling someone, and Briar couldn't help but question who?


	6. Driving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvette offers Briar a drive, but quickly regrets it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a late post, I had some assignments that I needed to catch up on and they took up most of my time last week.

Briar’s nimble fingers flew over her keyboard as she typed on her laptop, she was waiting for Yvette to get back from downstairs. Though more specifically, the crime laboratory where Yvette had gone to retrieve the reports on the DNA found on the cigarette from the crime scene. As much as Briar was excited to find out who the DNA matched with, she couldn’t help but be more preoccupied with thinking about her partner. Yvette had been off, to put it simply, for the past week. She was on edge, and it was all because of the damn lighter. What was even so special about it? It was honestly just a lighter, the only thing special about it was the fox that was engraved on the thing. Besides that, it was just a normal lighter, nothing special. Yet, Yvette was acting as if it was the most important thing in the world and she had the nerves to call Briar unprofessional. When Yvette saw the thing, she freaked, the moment whoever she was calling picked up the phone Yvette quickly ran off somewhere private. Then Briar didn’t see her till the next day, Yvette didn’t even come back to get her car, she just disappeared. When Briar did see Yvette again she had, of course, asked what had happened but Yvette just told her it was fine and gave her back the lighter to get it tested. She clearly wasn’t fine though, and even though Briar didn’t want to, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat concerned for Yvette. She was her partner and she was still a person who was clearly in distress, but Briar couldn’t force the answers out of Yvette. No, she was going to have to either be patient and hope Yvette will tell her herself, or just never find out and hope Yvette will go back to normal. Briar had a feeling that wasn’t going to be happening anytime soon. 

She tried to push Yvette out of her mind, and instead focus on what she was working on. A progress report, just a small summary of everything that had happened thus far during the investigation. So far, there was nothing breakthrough though, only minor details and no major leads. Which was something Briar deeply longed for, just for some sort of development in this case. She didn’t want to have to wait for another person to get killed for them to finally reach a breakthrough, two people were more than enough. 

The young detective couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders dropping as she leaned back in her seat, she looked out into one of the nearby windows, it was getting dark. Briar couldn’t help but think about the case. What was happening to these people was horrible and whoever was doing this was a cruel person. Briar didn’t expect that the first case she was going to be assigned to was going to be this heavy, sure she’d studied cases of this severity but she didn’t expect she was going to have to work such a case. She never thought she’d even have to see in person, a body so mangled and damaged, even though Briar didn’t want to admit it. Briar was starting to regret not stepping down when she had the chance, Yvette was right, she didn’t know what she was doing. She wasn’t ready to work this kind of case, but Briar couldn’t just step down now, with how Yvette had been acting Briar couldn’t but have a feeling she was going to be the one carrying most of the weight of this case. Briar let out another sigh as she ran her hands over her face, she could feel bags starting to form under her eyes. From staying up late working on the case, to staying up thinking about the case, Briar had started to lose more and more sleep and it was starting to get to her. 

Suddenly Briar was thrown out of her thoughts when a stack of papers was thrown onto her desk, she jumped back slightly nearly falling out of her chair. Briar looked the papers up and down and shifted her gaze to Yvette who stood next to her desk a scowl on her face. Briar slowly reached out for the papers, picking them up and flipping threw them; there wasn't much information there, “I’ll save you the trouble of looking through that, all you need to know is that there was a match for the DNA found on the cigarette you found” she took the papers, flipping threw them until she found what she was looking for, handing it back to Briar. Briar looked down at the mug shot of a young man, he had long blonde hair which fell into his face, his baby blue eyes barely visible. He was smirking in the picture as if he was proud of getting arrested, he wore a tight black shirt that clung to his body which was accompanied by navy blue jeans that were hanging loosely from his waist. Briar couldn’t help but furrow her brows as she looked at the picture, his skin was pale, abnormally pale almost as if he hadn’t gotten sunlight in ages. He looked so old yet so young at the same time, from his well-fit body to his rugged hair and stubble covered face. 

She then turned her head slightly to look at the information about the young man, who turned out was a lot younger than he looked. He was only twenty-one, he was far too young to be getting arrested, she looked down at his offenses, “Drug dealing?” she questioned, looking up at Yvette. 

The other woman nodded her head slightly in confirmation, “Yeah, his name is David Smith. He lives just outside Manhattan with his wife” 

“He’s married?” Briar gasped out, she couldn’t but question if he was busted for drug dealing then what his wife was doing. She could have of course been the type of wife who was completely clueless about anything her husband was doing. Yvette paused for a moment, a look of concern passing onto her face and her gaze growing distant, she was doing it again. She’d make the same face anytime Briar so much as mentioned that lighter, it was as if her partner knew something that she wasn’t sharing. It was like Yvette cared about the information she so clearly was withholding, that whoever owns that lighter Yvette knew. Briar could just feel it, Yvette had a connection to that damn thing and she didn’t want to admit it which was only going to make both of their jobs harder. But anytime Briar so much as pushed Yvette to speak up, the other woman would brush her off, it was getting irritating, “Yvette did you hear what I said?”

Yvette shook her head slightly, coming back to reality, “Yes, he’s married. To Cassy Smith, she hasn't been convicted for anything, unlike her husband who’s been arrested twice and been in prison once. Both times for getting busted for dealing illegal drugs to people” she paused again, “We also were able to confirm the identity of our second victim” Yvette took the papers again once again flipping through them until she stopped a look of disgust passing onto her face as she looked down at whatever was on the page. She handed it, Briar, still visibly disgusted. 

Briar tentatively took the papers, being met face to face with Josh Jackson, but she didn’t dwell on the mug shot, instead she shifted her gaze to where Yvette was pointing. She let out a small gasp, “Holy shit” she breathed out as she read down his long list of offenses. They were all the same though, all his offenses in one way or another were related to sexual assault. Briar could feel her skin crawl, that would explain a lot, as the killer had said he had a sick way of viewing sex and this clearly was a confirmation of that. The victims weren’t adults however, at least not most of them, no most of them were children. He was never actually convicted for any of this crime though, all these things he’s done and not once has he gone to prison for. Briar looked up at Yvette, “How has this man never been in prison before. I mean look at all of these, there have to be at least a dozen of these yet he’s never been to prison. Not even once” 

Yvette shrugged, “I don’t know, I’m not in charge of that type of stuff and neither are you. But I didn’t come here just to give you the reports, I’m here to also tell I’m leaving to question Mr.Smith and perhaps Ms.Smith if I’m lucky and I was going to ask if you want to come with me. You know, instead of sitting here on your computer because frankly, you looked bored” she said, gesturing to Briar’s computer which had long since timed out and black screen with Briar's reflection stared back at her. 

Briar looked up at Yvette for a moment, dumbfounded, Yvette was actually inviting Briar to come with her. Briar didn’t even need to suggest the idea because Yvette had beat her to it, Briar was surprised she didn’t even think Yvette would know how to put others before herself. This woman was just full of surprises and in all honesty, Briar was liking it, “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea Yvette” she stood up from her desk, stretching. When Briar fully stood up, she was starting to realize that today, she was actually somewhat taller than Yvette. It wasn’t by much, only being able to see part of the top of the other woman’s head but nonetheless it was still surprising. Briar didn’t pay it much mind and merely chopped it up to the heels she was wearing today and without a second thought began walking away to the parking lot, Yvette not far behind.

Even though Briar wasn’t one to pay much attention to the height difference, Yvette definitely was. The older woman couldn’t help but look Briar up and down several times trying to figure out if it was the shoes she was wearing or if she’d somehow manage to grow. The heels seemed like the same height as all the heels Briar wore, and she appeared to be the same height. Yvette averted her gaze from Briar and now to looking at herself, looking at the footwear, she’d decided to wear today. The shoes she wore today were shorter than what she normally wore, but it couldn’t have been that much, Yvette should still be taller than Briar naturally even without heels or boots on. Yvette didn’t like the thought of having to look up partly to see Briar, she enjoyed being taller than others. It gave her a sense of pride, not having to be looked down on by anyone but now that clearly wasn’t going to be the case and Yvette didn’t really feel like driving halfway across the city to get back to her apartment to change. Yvette was just going to have to suck it up for the evening.

As the two women neared the police station entrance a small idea popped in Yvette’s head, Briar wanted her to show her she meant what she said. To include Briar in the case and to treat her as an equal and even though Yvette did invite her to accompany her to question David, Yvette knew she was going to have to do more to get Briar to forgive her. “Briar why don’t we drive there in one car, I mean it’s a far trip and it’s a waste of gas if we each go in separate cars. So why don’t you just drive with me, in my car, it’ll just be easier” Yvette said nonchalantly, a small smirk creeping its way onto her face. What would be a better way to show Briar that she’s taking her apology seriously than letting Briar into her car. Yvette’s expensive, clean, and once again expensive car, Briar should be honored she’s even proposing such a thing. She doesn’t let just anyone near her car, let alone in it, the only coworker she’s let into her car thus far was Penelope and the only reason she did that was because the young scientist had slept in and was way too tired to drive.

Briar paused for a moment, turning to look at Yvette as a small smile started to form on her face. Was Yvette kidding or was she being genuine? Briar honestly didn’t know, the smirk on Yvette’s face was causing her to lean towards her joking but the fact that she even proposed such a thing made Briar want to think she meant what she was saying. “Do you actually mean that, because I can’t tell?” she asked and much to her surprise, Yvette let out a small chuckle. 

“Yes I mean it, why wouldn't I?” Yvette said shrugging, she was still walking but this time instead of being a few paces behind Briar she now walked next to her. Both women walked at a slow pace. 

Briar cocked a brow, “It’s just the look on your face was giving me the vibe that you were kidding, but if you say you’re being serious I don’t see why not” She smiled down at Yvette, who was mentally cursing herself for not going home and changing her shoes. 

The walk to Yvette’s car was quiet, only the sound of their footsteps and the humming from nearby traffic could be heard in the parking lot. Where Yvette was more focused on digging her car keys out of her pocket, Briar was too compelled to look around her surroundings. She’d walked through this parking tons of times before, but she always enjoyed getting out of her cramped office and into the cool evening air. A breeze flowed through her long hair which made her let out a content sigh, she always enjoyed the outdoors, from the different smells of around her to the sounds of nature, Briar always had a liking for the open world. 

Upon reaching her car, Yvette unlocked her car without a second thought opening the driver's side door and getting it. She waited for a moment for Briar to get in too, who at the first sight of Yvette's yellow Lamborghini seemed to have been taken aback, staring at the bright sports car with a look of childish wonder forming on her face. This only made Yvette’s smirk grow as she watched Briar look the car up and down, taking it in on different angles, it was as if she’d never seen an expensive car before. However, when Briar realized Yvette was watching her, she was quick to open the passenger side door and step in. 

As Yvette started up the car she couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Briar who was looking around the car taking in the sleek black interior. The childish look in her eyes returning as she took in everything around her, Yvette could only assume that this was new to her, that she’d never seen a car like this up close let alone get in one. The very thought only made Yvette feel even more prideful, it’s because of her kindness Briar is able to experience all of this. As Yvette looked at Briar she couldn’t but admit she liked seeing Briar happy, whenever she was it looked like she had stars in her eyes. Stars that Yvette couldn’t help but admire, and when Briar looked around her car, touching a few things every now it was as if those stars had grown brighter. Yvette would never normally let someone touch her car in fear of it getting dirty, but she would let Briar, only because it made her happy. Allowing Yvette to see Brair’s beautiful starry eyes, Yvette so deeply wanted to get closer to those eyes. To perhaps be able to look into them and be able to be fully take in their captivating beauty. 

It took Yvette a moment to realize what she was thinking, she shook her head aggressively, what was she thinking? Briar was a coworker, not someone she should be admiring what Yvette was thinking was unprofessional and uncalled for. She shouldn’t be thinking about those types of things, what would her mother think? She would be ashamed no doubt, her daughter feeling what this feeling even was, towards a fellow coworker. A female one at that, Yvette has never shown any signs of being attracted to women and she wasn’t about to start now. She had a job to do and she wasn’t going to let whatever this feeling that was building up within her, stop her. Yvette quickly started up the car, it roared to life and without a second thought, Yvette grabbed onto the steering wheel and pushed down harshly onto the gas. 

At first, Briar was solely focused on the car, just looking at everything around her but Yvette caught her attention when she suddenly started the car and began to pull out of the parking lot. Yvette looked tense and deep in thought, but not like before, thankfully this was different. Briar was still concerned nonetheless. 

Yvette could feel Briar’s eyes on her, and normally she wouldn’t care but right now she wanted the other woman to go back to looking at the car. She would honestly be satisfied if Briar was looking at anything that wasn’t Yvette, inviting Briar to drive with her was a mistake. Yvette should have just let Briar drive her own car and the two meet there, that way she wouldn’t have to deal with Briar’s piercing gaze that was only making Yvette feel weird. Feeling something she’d never felt before, but Yvette didn’t know what it was. It was a feeling that made her feel like she had a pit in her stomach and made her entire body flare up with warmth. It was suffocating, to say the least and Yvette wanted it to stop. “Are you alright Yvette?” Briar’s voice cut through Yvette’s thoughts, the older woman stiffly nodded, not even daring to tear her gaze away from the road in front of her. “Are you sure? Your face is kinda red?” she said, pointing to Yvette’s face. The burning feeling inside of Yvette only worsted at the comment, not all the heat began to build up purely on her face. Yvette gripped the wheel tighter, her knuckles starting to turn white under the pressure. “Yvette are you sure you’re alright?” she asked again, a hint of concern hiding behind each word she spoke. Yvette liked Briar’s voice, it was so soft and smooth it was like water, and like water. It was so lovely to hear, but it was even better when she said Yvette’s name, the way she blended the Y and V in her name together perfectly. She adored her voice just as much as she adored her eyes. “Yvette?” there she was again, saying her name. Yvette could hear Briar saying her voice forever, “Yvette!” Briar shouted which threw Yvette out of her own thoughts only now realizing the two of them were nearing a red light and right about to crash straight into another car. Yvette quickly slammed her foot down on the brakes which caused both women to jerk forward as the car came to an abrupt halt. The older detective didn’t realize that her right hand had released from the steering feel and instead resided on Briar’s chest as a way to further prevent her from getting hurt. Both women sat there for a moment, neither of them realizing Yvette’s hand, the two of them still trying to process what had happened. 

It wasn’t until Briar began to come to, did she feel Yvette’s hand on her chest, more specifically where her breasts were. Briar could feel her face starting to heat up as she slowly began to look down at Yvette’s hand, “Yvette” she paused, “Can you please move your hand?” 

Yvette turned to look at Briar, only now realizing where her hand had gone, she quickly yanked it back as if she’d just touch something hot. “I am so sorry,” she said apologetically, “I didn’t mean to, I didn’t mean to touch your, um...your breast area” Yvette sputtered out, “I’m sorry” 

“It’s fine, just please don’t do that again,” Briar said.

“I won’t” was all Yvette said before the two settled into an uncomfortable silence, Yvette went back to focusing on driving not wanting to repeat the event that just happened. Whereas Briar found herself looking out the window in hopes of looking at the outside world would distract her which, after a while, it was starting to.


	7. Envy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvette and Briar get separated at a party, Briar finds out some important information whereas Yvette gets herself into trouble

The heavy beat from the music was shaking Yvette and Briar to their core as they pushed their way through the crowds which overtook the house. When the two women had arrived at David's house, at first they only heard the faint humming of music coming from inside the house, but as they got closer to the door the music got distinctively louder. Not only that but from what they were able to make out in one of the small windows to the left of the door, they could see that there were definitely more than just two people inside. The sounds of cheers and shouting could have been heard from inside, which was accompanied by the flashing lights that were visible from inside. Both women were unsure what to do, but Yvette had taken the lead to knock on the door and when no one answered the door, she had knocked again. But once again, nothing and when Briar recommended they come back later, Yvette wasn’t having it and tried to open the door and much to their surprise. The door opened and before Briar could say anything else, Yvette took the lead again and let herself in. Even though this was was trespassing, if David did have something to do with the murder then it would more than worth it. At least that’s what Briar told herself as she pushed through the crowd of people trying to stay close to Yvette. 

Which wasn’t an easy task, in the stuffy atmosphere which smelt of alcohol and weed everyone was dressed up in fluorescent outfits in various pastel colors. Most people were wearing masks which covered most if not all of their faces, those too were painted bright colors that were starting to hurt Briar’s eyes and were bringing on a headache. The entire room was basked in blacklight which only made it worse and the music wasn’t helping either. Briar could feel the music ripple through her with each beat that ripped through the speaker which were hung in various areas around the room. Everyone around her was either shouting at one another or singing along to the song that was playing, not that any of them were doing a good job. It just sounded like they were just shouting out the lyrics more so than them singing them. 

Yvette pushed through the crowd of people that were huddled in the main area of the house, the smells around her were overwhelming but she pushed those aside. She had come here for one purpose and that was to question David and if that meant having to deal with this party, then so be it. The faster they find him, the faster they’ll be able to leave and Yvette could go home and sleep and she wouldn’t have to see Briar again till the next day. Yvette still couldn’t believe she’d done that, how did she even do that? Why did she even do that? It’s not as if Briar wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, so was going to be fine as Yvette had braked abruptly, yet her mind for some reason wanted to reach out and protect Briar. Which was stupid, Yvette could care less what happened to Briar, she was just her partner and nothing more. Yvette didn’t like Briar, the two weren’t even friends, they were work colleagues and that was it. But what was the feeling that Yvette felt earlier, it felt as if her body was filling up with bliss at the thought of Briar. At the same time, she also felt heavy, as if she’d done something wrong, like just thinking those things were wrong. Which it was, Yvette shouldn’t be thinking those things, she didn’t like women she most certainly didn’t like Briar and that was final. 

Briar tried to keep up with Yvette but it was starting to get difficult, with the heels she was wearing it wasn’t exactly easy to run in them. How even big was this house, from the outside it looked average size, but here it felt like it was massive and it was starting to overwhelm Briar. She wanted to speak up and tell Yvette to slow down but she didn’t even know if her partner was going to even hear her through all this noise. Briar tried to look around her to try and catch even the slightest glimpse of David through the masked crowd. But there was nothing, just her luck, however, Briar’s luck would only worsen when she turned to look for Yvette. She felt her heart drop into her stomach, Yvette was gone, Briar stopped dead in her tracks turning her head frantically trying to catch sight of Yvette. There was nothing though, her partner was nowhere to be found. 

She tried to calm herself down, Yvette couldn’t have gotten that far, it wasn’t as if the other woman was going to be able to blend in with the crowd. She was wearing a suit for goodness sake, the exact opposite style of what everyone in the party was wearing. Even Briar was going to stand out, with her black button-up shirt which was tucked into her navy blue skirt. But nonetheless, the very thought of being alone in this type of environment was starting to overwhelm Briar, she never was a fan of parties even when she was younger and this party was starting to bring back some unwanted memories. She could feel tears starting to build up in the corner of her eyes, the back of her throat starting to sting slightly. 

Briar let out a shaky breath, she couldn’t let her emotions get the best of her, she was still working and her job right now was to find Yvette or David. Preferably Yvette, just because the other woman made Briar feel comfortable, not that she would ever say that to Yvette personally. But Yvette did make Briar feel comfortable in situations, just seeing Yvette’s calm and nonchalant demeanor made Briar feel relaxed. 

The young detective began moving again, pushing through the people around her and eventually she was able to get out of the stuffy crowd. Now being in what appeared to be in the kitchen, of course, there were still people here but there weren’t nearly as much as there was in the other room. Briar let out a sigh of relief as she looked around her, maybe Yvette was in here. Unfortunately no, Briar cursed quietly under her breath, this was going to be harder than she thought. How far could have Yvette gotten? It’s as if the other woman had gone and runoff, unless she did, Briar cursed again. If Yvette had gone and run off it was only to be harder for Briar to find her, she could be anywhere in this house. 

Briar looked around the kitchen again, her gaze falling onto a cluster of water bottles that were placed on a nearby table, right next to a punch bowl that had a liquid in there that seemed unnaturally bright. Briar did have a headache and perhaps some water would help her. She hastily made her way towards the table, picking up a bottle of water and opened it. As she brought it to her lips, she expected it to be water but the moment the liquid touched her tongue she was quick to spit it right back out. It wasn’t water, it was tequila, “Who the fuck put’s tequila in a water bottle?” Briar hissed out, quickly closing the water bottle.

“My brother would,” another voice said, Briar whipped her head to her left, her eyes locking with a woman sitting on the table next to her. She looked like Yvette, eerily similar to Yvette, from her short blonde hair which too was styled up, her cream-colored skin which was littered with freckles. Her prominent cheekbones and sharp nose. Her style was even like Yvette’s with her tight black turtleneck that was tucking into the matching black jeans, both hugging her body nicely. On top of her shirt was a brown leather jacket which was loosely starting to hang from her shoulder, she looked so out of place at this party. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to give you a fright. I just thought I’d let you know” her words were slurred slightly, which made her British accent heavy and prominent. “The name’s Brooke, by the way,” she said chuckling as she brought one of the water bottles to her own lips, chugging down the liquid inside. Briar couldn’t help but realize the golden wedding band that was on the woman’s ring finger. It glistened slightly under the blacklight. 

“That’s a nice ring,” Briar said absentmindedly, gesturing to it. Brooke let out another chuckle, she even laughed like Yvette. Both laughs were thick and heavy yet light at the same time, they were short and sweet. 

“Thanks, my fiance chose it out. She has much better taste in jewelry than I do” she said shrugging, tracing her fingers over it. 

Briar paused for a moment, “She?” well there's at least one difference between this woman and Yvette. 

“Yeah, I know. I don’t look like the ‘type’” she made air quotes with her hands, “And I honestly didn’t think I was the type until I was in Junior year of High School”

“What’s her name?” 

Brooke turned to look at Briar, she looked confused for a moment before letting out another chuckle, “Her name is Samatha. She quit the character, you know I used to hate her for the longest time” 

“Why?”

“Oh, well that’s simple because she was an annoying little shit who I was forced to work with on our track team. I was the Captain because I was the best person there, and the coach just put Sam on the team and the moment I saw her I knew we weren’t going to get along. I was a leader and she wanted to be one too, so all the time we were fighting for control until it reached the point where neither of us could stand each other. And we stayed like that for a year, up until my brother, that fucking bastard decided to start dating one of her friends. Who still even after five fucking years is still a twat”

“Are you talking about Cassy Smith?” 

“Damn right I am, the woman is the biggest bitch I’ve ever met” she shifted her position on the table, turning herself to the side so that she was now facing Briar, she crossed her legs and put her water bottle beside her, “See, there was the three of them, Sam, Cassy and their third friend Paula. Those three had been friends since they were in like first grade and from the very beginning Cassy, was always envious of Paula, it was as clear as fucking day. But apparently Paula never realized that I even saw that shit and I didn't even like any of them. I mean Paula was loaded though, and she always loved to spoil Sam more so than Cassy, probably because Sam wasn’t a fucking leach who just stayed around for the money and then when Paula died Cassy went and fucking lied about seeing the murder. When that fucking dickhead didn’t see shit and my brother sided with her like the fucking idiot he is. And then when I tried to call her out, I was the one who was the lying bitch and then….I’m ranting again aren’t I. I am so sorry, I do that when I’m drunk” she let out a small chuckle, “The point is, I don’t like my sister-in-law. And I haven’t for years, and I damn well not about to start anytime soon, I’d rather die” Brooke grumbled out as she unscrewed the cap of her water bottle and took a long swing from it. 

“I’m sorry but do you mean Paula Brown?” Briar asked, if what she was hearing was correct then this would have been the second time people were linked with the Paula Brown case. 

Brooke hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, Paula Brown, the fifteen-year-old who got her face beat in by my future father-in-law” she said bluntly, “I fucking hate that man” Brooke slurred out as she took another sip from the bottle. 

Briar couldn’t believe what she was hearing, this was the second time that The Paula Brown Case has been mentioned. First, with Cheryl Anderson and now with Cassy Smith who was friends with the victim yet she wasn’t the person who saw what happened. She merely claimed she had, and even though Briar didn’t want to think about it she had a sickening feeling in her stomach this Samatha person was the one who actually saw what happened. Not only that but if what she was hearing was right, that would mean that Samatha’s own father was the one who murdered Paula. The poor girl, watching her father do such a thing, and then to have one of your friends say they were in your place for what Briar could only assume was for popularity reasons. Briar couldn’t help but feel bad for this girl, and for Brooke who sat there silently on the table fiddling with her ring. She couldn’t help but think that perhaps this case, that at first seemed like a minor detail, could actually start playing a major role in this investigation. Even though Briar hadn’t found David, nor Yvette she did find Brooke who gave to her far too much information for the young detective to take in all at once. But Briar knew that she now had some research to do when she got back to work tomorrow and she was going to have to tell all of this to Yvette too. Her partner no doubt must know something about the case that could be of importance, even if she didn’t, this could still be important information to share. 

Briar was about to open her mouth to ask another question but was cut short by a blood-curdling scream which echoed throughout the house. Without hesitation Briar stood up and began to quickly make her way to where the scream had come from, it came from the second floor. Briar quickly climbed up the set of stairs before harshly turning the corner only to be met with a crowd of people huddling in front of one of the doorways. She pushed past them until she was at the front of the crowd which is when she saw it, a woman’s body laid limp in the bathtub, her head was still submerged under the water. Her hazel colored eyes were glassy and lifeless, her head tilted back slightly and mouth agape. The woman’s jet black curls clung to her chocolate-colored skin, droplets of water dripping from the tips and back into the bathtub which had ice cubes submerged in the water alongside the body. The window to the bathroom hung open, and the sound of shouting could be heard from outside. Briar neared the window watching as two figures ran into the nearby forest which was located to the back of the house. One figure was cloaked in all black, they were nearly impossible to see in the night sky, whereas the other stood out to Briar, specifically though it was the figure's blonde hair that caught Briar’s attention. She let out a small gasp as she realized who it was, it was Yvette. 

_____________

Yvette’s breathing was rushed, she was inhaling and exhaling the cool night air as fast as she could. She didn’t know what she was doing entirely, all she knew was that after losing Briar in the crowd, she spent her time looking for David on the second floor of the house and when she thought she’d found him. She was cut short by screaming coming from the next room over, and Yvette quickly found herself at the entrance to the bathroom, face to face with the dead body of Cassy Smith who laid lifeless in the bathtub. However, she quickly realized that there was another person in the room, the killer who was still sitting on the window sill, frozen in place as they looked at Yvette with empty black eyes. Much like the description they’d gotten from the tenants at Ms.Anderson’s apartment, the killer was wearing all black, a black sweat top and tight black jeans both in which were drenched in water. Yvette couldn’t make out their face though since it was covering halfway with a mask that clung tightly to their face. The two just looked at each other for a moment and it wasn’t until Yvette tried to lunge at them to grab them did the killer move. Sliding effortlessly out of the window and onto the grassy ground below and quickly began to make a run for it. Yvette wasn’t about to let them get away though and too, jump out of the bathroom window and onto the ground below. As the killer ran off, Yvette followed behind, her legs carrying her as fast as she could. 

As the two entered the forest, the killer was quick to start weaving between trees in hopes of losing Yvette but Yvette wasn’t about to back down. As sticks and leaves crunched underneath the weight of the two, they both ran deeper and deeper into the forest. The killer quickly turned to the left, Yvette did the same and then when the killer quickly turned to the right, Yvette did the same again. Every time Yvette drew close enough to the killer, they always seemed to speed up, almost as if they’d trained long-distance running which Yvette certainly hadn’t been. She was starting to grow tired but kept going in hopes of catching up with the killer, however, the deeper the two went into the forest, the darker it got as well. The killer seemed more than comfortable running in the dark forest, knowing just when to turn or to duck to avoid running into trees or tree branches. 

It wasn’t until they reached what appeared to be the center of the forest did the killer abruptly turn to the right, which gave Yvette little time to stop herself to successfully turn. The detective slid on the leafy ground, catching herself with her hands but before she could get up she felt something hit her hard across the side of her face. She let out a small grunt as she fully fell onto the floor, though before she could so much as push herself off the ground, a loud pop echoed throughout the forest as something lodged itself into her shoulder. She’d been shot. 

Yvette quickly grasped at her wounded, looking up to see the killer staring down at her with those piercing black eyes which glared at her as they lifted a handgun, ready to shoot again. Their face was illuminated partly in the moonlight, their tan-colored skin could be seen along with some of the short black hair which hid underneath the hood. Yvette braced herself for what was about to happen, her eyes screwed shut however when another pop echoed through the air much to her surprise another bullet wasn’t lodged into her body. Instead of the killer stubbled forward, a loud yelp escaping their lip as they grasped at their forearm before quickly running off once again into the darkness. More shots followed but the sound of footsteps never abruptly stopped and instead they faded off into the forest, signifying the killer had gotten away. Yvette let out a small grunt as the adrenaline in her body began to wear off, the pain from the bleed wound became almost unbearable. The searing pain began to overwhelm her as she tried to get up but quickly found herself falling back over as the bullet wound began to sting once again. 

The sound of footsteps neared Yvette, but the woman was too focused on the pain to realize she was being picked up. She was in too much pain to hear the frantic words that left the person's mouth as they struggled to carry her to the car. She was too light-headed to care when they started going through her pockets looking for her car keys, and she was far too tired to keep herself conscious enough to realize it was Briar who’d just saved her life.


	8. A Hospital Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvette wakes up in the hospital and has a chat with Briar

_Yvette could feel her heart racing as she ran through the forest, she didn’t know why she was running but she knew she was running from something. Her legs were moving as fast as they could, but she knew she couldn’t keep running forever, sooner or later she was going to get tired. She could hear someone chasing behind her, which only drove her to run faster, she had to keep running no matter what. Yvette was starting to grow tired but she still continued running, though the footsteps that were originally following behind her, were now starting to sound like they were coming from beside her. She quickly whipped her head to her left, but where she expected to see a person, all she saw were a pair of eyes. A pair of piercing black eyes that seemed to be drained of any emotion, leaving behind cold, hollow eyes. They stood out among the pure darkness the forest had begun to morph into, the trees that once surrounded Yvette had disappeared. Leaving behind an empty abyss, any sound that was present had ceased to exist leaving Yvette in pure silence. The only thing that could be heard was her own breathing, her footstep and the other pair of footstep which still ran beside her._

_The longer she looked into those eyes the more Yvette wanted to stop running, to turn back to where she’d come from. She wanted to go back, she needed to go back. Yvette could feel her legs start to cramp up with every heavy footstep she took, the cool air of the endless abyss blew into her face. The footsteps that were once beside her began to move even faster, now sounding like they were ahead of Yvette._

_Even though she wanted to turn around and avoid running into the owner of those footsteps, her body wasn’t letting her. It was forcing her to keep running forward, but she didn’t want to go forward, she wanted to go back, she wanted to go back to where it was safe. Where she was with other people, where she was with Briar, where she actually knew where she was. Yvette’s breathing began to become uneven as she slowly began to run out of breath, she needed to stop, but once again no matter how much she wanted to she couldn’t._

_Suddenly, without warning those pairs of eyes appeared once again, and just as quick as they appeared, they went back out of Yvette's view as she felt something slam into the side of her head. She felt herself fall onto the ground, which allowed her to catch her breath. She took in long inhales of air, as she began to push herself up, but before she could loud pop echoed through the empty space around her as she felt searing pain grow in her left shoulder. She let out a small cry, as she fell back down onto the ground, her body numb. Even though she didn’t want to, she could feel herself slowly get back up and turn herself around so that she was propping herself up with her forearm. Her hand covered the bleeding wound._

_Where she expected to see a person, there wasn’t, instead just like before only a pair of coal-black eyes stared back at her. They could have easily blended in with the darkness that surrounded them if it wasn’t for the subtle outline of clothes that were visible around the eyes. As Yvette looked into them, it was as if she was in a trance, her entire body was still and her gaze was fixated on the rage-filled eyes._

_They also looked familiar, like Yvette had looked into those eyes before in the past, but not in this type of circumstance. She’d looked into these eyes when she was younger, when the owner of these eyes were no more than a teenager when they weren’t looking down at Yvette with hatred and instead in fear. Yvette knew this person, but she couldn’t figure out from where._

_Yvette watched in horror as a silver handgun came into view aiming for her chest, it looked like it was almost glowing in the inky atmosphere. Another pop echoed ripped out of the gun._

Yvette jerked up, her breathing was harsh and rapid as she grasped at her chest to check to see what had happened was true. Much to her relief there was nothing there, she hadn’t been shot in the chest, she was fine, she was alive. She let out a nervous laugh as she slowly began to relax, only now taking in the atmosphere around her, she was sitting on a bed. It wasn’t her bed though, no this one had a thin mattress unlike her own and the faint sound of beeping could be heard around her. This wasn’t her room either, where her room would be a glorious gold color, this once was mostly white, it was starting to hurt her eyes. She also could help but notice the other beds that were around her, curtains obscuring some of them from Yvette’s view. It was only when she looked to find herself hooked up to an IV line did she realize where she was. She was in the hospital. 

She couldn’t help but groan as she flopped back on the pillows that propped her up, why was she in the hospital? It wasn’t until her shoulder landed harshly on the mattress did she remember what had happened, she hadn’t been killed but she was entirely spared. But she had been saved, by whom she didn’t know, but all she knew was that the killer too was going to walk away from their altercation with a scar. She cautiously went to touch the fresh wound, which had been bandaged up, as her slim finger brushed against it she couldn’t help but hiss and quickly drawing back her hand. Yvette also was starting to realize she wasn’t wearing her normal attire, instead, she wore a thin hospital gown that made her feel exposed. 

Something shifted next to Yvette, which caused the detective to jerk back slightly, she thought she was alone. That clearly wasn’t the case though because as she shifted her gaze to look next to her, much to her surprise sat Briar who was fast asleep in one of the chairs next to Yvette’s bed. The other woman looked so comfortable, at least as comfortable as someone sleeping in a chair could get. She was hugging herself slightly, as she leaned back into the chair, her head hanging off of the edge. A pair of fresh clothes, which were neatly folded were placed on her lap, one of her hands grasping at them slightly to keep them from sliding off and onto the floor. Yvette could only assume that her mother had brought them, counting that they appeared to be specifically from her closet, and Briar didn’t have a key to her apartment. Only her mother did, not that Yvette had much of a choice to refuse to give her one. Briar was also still wearing the same clothes from the night before, which meant that she hadn’t gone home. Had Briar really stayed here the whole night, just sitting in that chair? If she had, Yvette couldn’t help but question why?

Yvette looked to the seat next to Briar, which is where her laptop, phone, and wallet were placed. If she was going to be stuck here for a while, she might as well get some work done and her mother was no doubt going to make her write a report and the events that transpired last night. So, Yvette better start writing now. 

She slowly pushed herself up so that she was now sitting upright and then slowly and slowly pushed herself off of the bed. Her bare feet coming in contact with the cold tile floor which made Yvette wince slightly, she never liked cold things and the sudden shift from the warm blanket to the cold floor had taken her by surprise. Yvette began to make her way towards the chair, making sure not to wake Briar, but right when her computer was just out of reach she felt something pull against her forearm. The IV stand was caught which was causing the needle that was placed in Yvette’s arm to slowly begin to pull out. She winced once again as she reached out for her laptop, she just needed to reach out a bit more. 

Right when she took hold of her computer, a loud thud cut through the once quiet room. Briar’s eyes shot open as she quickly pushed herself up from her chair, she frantically whipped her head around the room upon seeing Yvette’s bed empty. Only upon turning her head to her right did she see Yvette who awkwardly smiled at her, Briar let out a small sigh of relief, “It’s good to see you’re up” she said softly as she smiled at her partner, “You had me worried last night, when I saw you running off, chasing after the killer. I knew something was going to go wrong but I didn’t expect that you were going to get shot. You know you almost died right?” Briar’s once soft tone had shifted into a harsh one, but deep down Yvette could sense a bit of fear and concern behind the words that Briar spoke, “What were you even thinking? Running off, if I hadn’t chased after you, and saved your life might I add. You wouldn’t be standing here, you’d be dead” 

Yvette felt her mouth go dry as she looked into Briar’s hazel eyes, she looked so heartbroken, even though as she spoke to Yvette she spat out her words. Briar’s face portrayed a look of concern and sadness, it was like she cared about what happened to Yvette. Why would she though? It’s not as if Yvette had been nice to her, the two weren't getting along a few weeks ago. If anything, Yvette expected Briar to be happy if she was gone, after all it would have saved her the headache of having to deal with Yvette. Yet the longer Yvette looked into her eyes, the more it came apparent that that was the farthest from the truth. Yvette wanted so much to see Briar happy, instead of looking like this, she looked so much better happy. “I’m sorry” Yvette breathed out, “I’m sorry, you’re right I should have thought before I ran off. But they were right there, I couldn’t just let them get away and hurt more people, I didn’t want to let that happen”

“But at the cost of putting your own life at risk Yvette, you could have died, I know I’ve already said that but it’s true. They were so close to pulling the trigger and then you would have been another one of their victims, and if I wasn’t there you wouldn't be here. I don’t want you to apologize, Yvette, I just want you to realize that what you did was reckless and damn stupid if you asked me” Briar paused, letting out a small sigh, “I just want you to promise me you won’t do something like that again. Because frankly I don’t want to have to live with myself knowing you would be dead if I wasn’t there. So can you please promise, or at the very least, wait for me before you do something stupid?” she looked up at Yvette with pleading eyes, which made it nearly impossible for Yvette to look away from them. Yvette knew what she’d done was stupid, she didn’t need Briar telling her that, but it was the fact that Briar was practically pleading with Yvette to be safe. Once again, Yvette couldn’t help but question why. 

Yvette let out a small huff, caving in, “Alright, yes what I did wasn’t ideal-”

“It was more than just not being ideal, Yvette” Briar interjected, Yvette scoffed as she tried to cross her arm but the moment she tried to move her left arm she felt a pulse of pain flow through her body, a long hiss escaped her lips as she grasped at the wound. “The anesthetic is starting to wear off I guess” Briar said under her breath, “Do you want me to go get one of the nurses to hopefully give you some more, so you won’t be in so much pain” 

The pain slowly began to leave Yvette’s shoulder, she shook her head slightly, “No, it’s fine, I still feel really numb so it hasn’t completely worn off” Yvette paused, “But as I was saying, I agree with you Briar, who I did was...in poor judgment, and I shouldn’t have done it. And I’m sorry I’ve made you worry so much, but you shouldn’t have, because I’m fine”

“But you might not have been, and what do you mean I shouldn’t worry? What do you take me as, someone who doesn’t care about you? Because I do Yvette, believe or not even though you didn’t exactly treat me well, I still care about you and I care about your wellbeing. And don’t pretend like you don’t care that you got shot because I know you do, when I saw you last night, you looked so scared and seeing you like that is something I never want to see again. So please, just don’t ever do something like that again” Briar said sternly, she looked directly up at Yvette, which caused Yvette to take notice of the height difference. Briar was back to being shorter than Yvette, which at first confused Yvette until she looked down at Briar’s feet, and much to her surprise, she wasn’t wearing anything, no socks or shoes. She just stood there barefoot just like Yvette. 

“Where are your shoes?” Yvette asked, changing the conversation. 

“I left them back at David’s house, when I saw you running off I knew I would be able to catch up with you in heels so I took them off. But that isn’t important, I wan-” 

“So you haven’t been wearing shoes all this time, and why didn’t you just go home and change?” Yvette asked, “I mean that couldn’t have been comfortable, even now, me just standing on these cold tiles is uncomfortable, so why stay here? And why sleep here too” she gestured to the chair Briar had slept in, “Why sleep in that uncomfortable chair, instead of in your bed, which I’m going to guess is far better” 

Briar took in a long drawn out breath, “I didn’t want to leave because I wanted to make sure you were alright, even if I did go home, I’d be far too worried about you to be able to get any sleep. At least here, in the uncomfortable chair, I could make sure nothing bad happened to you.” she said bluntly, “I would much rather stay here, and be barefoot for a few hours than you end up getting hurt again. Because, as I said, I care about you and I would end up blaming myself if something actually did happen” Yvette couldn’t help but cock a brow, “Don’t give me that look, I was being nice alright. I could have easily just dropped you off at the hospital and hoped for the best” 

Yvette could feel a smile starting to tug at her lips, “Thank you for staying Briar, and I promise that I won’t do anything like that again. Even when I know you're around, I wouldn’t want to worry you, would I?” Even though the words came out snarky and a tad bit bitter, Yvette watched as Briar let out a laugh at the comment which only drove Yvette to do the same. Both women just stood there laughing. 

It wasn’t until Briar took in a breath between her laughs did she speak again, “I appreciate you not wanting to worry me, but I must say I’m the least of your concerns. Your mother has been far more worried than I am, the only reason she didn’t stay here is that, as she put it, ‘She despises nearly everything about hospitals and she knows you’re going to be fine. So she might as well not put herself at risk and contract an illness from this wretched place and go home and get some beauty sleep’.” Briar let out a small chuckle as she reminisced about how Willa had come into the hospital. Her boss was still in her nightwear, with her snowy hair had clearly been quickly styled as she came into the hospital demanding to see her daughter. It had taken Briar a good ten minutes to get Willa to calm down to the point where she could explain that Yvette was fine and was going to be alright. Then, like a switch had gone off in the other woman’s head, her once frantic demeanor had switched into a calm one as she bid her farewells and left the hospital. Briar couldn’t help but question how those too were even remotely related, Willa was so high strung whereas Yvette was just normally snarky and laid back. 

Yvette rolled her eyes, “Please tell me didn’t actually say that” she breathed out, when Briar nodded her head, a small smirk on her face Yvette couldn’t help but chuckle, “Fuck, I am so sorry you had to deal with her. She can be very-”

“Overdramatic? Yeah, I’d say so too. But it’s fine, even though I couldn’t tell if she was being genuine or not, it at least sounded like she was worried about you. Plus, she took your car keys so you can’t leave on your own” 

“When do I even get to leave?” Yvette asked, “Because I want to get out of here as soon as I can, we need to get back to work. Will the killer getting injured this could give us a chance to get the upper hand, use this to our advantage because it’s not as of they’re going to be able to commit any more murders in the state their in” 

“I would completely agree with you, but you’re not going to be able to work either, at least not for a week at best. That wound needs to heal” Briar said, “But I’m more than happy to relay any information I get to you and we could work on the case that way, here” Briar picked up Yvette’s phone and handed it to her, “Could you unlock it, I want to put my number in there in case you need to reach me for any reason” Yvette placed her computer down and took her phone out of Briar’s hand, before unlocking it and going into Contacts. She handed it back to Briar, who typed in her phone number before handing it back to Yvette. 

As Yvette looked down at her phone, she couldn’t help but smile slightly, she had Briar’s phone number. Yvette didn’t know why but she felt happy to have it, like she’d just achieved something she’d wanted for a long time. It was merely a phone number though, she shouldn’t care, besides this was given to her for work purposes. Not to be used to call for friendly conversation, this was purely for work. “Thanks” was all Yvette said as she looked back up at Briar who was smiling back at her. 

“You’re welcome, I just thought that since you’re going to be stuck in here for another day or so. I might as well give you my number in case you need anything. And I do mean anything, even if you just want to talk, I’m perfectly open to doing that too. You don’t have to call just for work” It was as if Briar had read Yvette's mind and told her the opposite of what Yvette wanted to hear. She wanted this to be used purely for calling Briar when it came to work because that’s what the two of them were, work colleges. They weren’t friends, at least that’s what Yvette thought, and all of the things Briar was doing for her was only making that feeling that she’d felt before return. Though this time, stronger and more overwhelming. Yvette could feel her face starting to flare up again, thankfully it seemed like Briar didn’t realize anything. “Well, I really should get going. Now that I know you are more than alright, I’m going to go home, change my clothes and put on some shoes. And I have to go question a bunch of hungover adults, so wish me luck with that” Briar said smugly as she handed Yvette her clothes, “These are also yours, your mother dropped these off for you to change into. She said she knows you’re going to hate the hospital gowns, mostly considering your ass is exposed” Yvette had completely forgotten that about hospital gowns, her hands quickly flew to the open part of the gown, pulling the open area closed which only made Briar laugh. “Relax, Yvette. It’s not as if I’m trying to check you out, don’t worry. And” she gestured to the empty room, “There isn’t anyone else here, besides you and I. So rest assured you have nothing to worry about” 

Yvette chuckled nervously, still holding the gown close just in case and taking her clothes with her free hand, placing her phone on top of them before taking them out of Briar's hands. With that, Briar gave Yvette one final smile before collecting her things from beside her chair and making her way towards the door. As Briar’s hand grabbed onto the doorknob Yvette spoke up once again, “Thank you, Briar. For everything” 

Briar turned her head slightly, so that she could look Yvette in the eyes, sparing her a heartwarming smile, “You don’t need to thank me Yvette, it’s just what people do for those they care about” she paused, “Take care of yourself, please. And remember, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me” with that she opened the door and stepped out, it closed behind her. Leaving Yvette alone, a small smile on her face, she didn’t deserve someone as kind as Briar in her life.


	9. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Briar and Yvette have a late night chat

Yvette jerked up in her bed, her breathing rushed and her whole body drenched in a cold sweat, once again her hand was clutching at her chest. Her eyes darted around her bedroom, looking to the darkness that surrounded her, waiting for those lifeless black eyes to show themselves. She let out a shaky breath when they were nowhere to be found, it was just another nightmare, it was always just a nightmare. The same damn nightmare that had burned a hole into Yvette’s mind. Yvette ran her hands through her short damp hair, she was starting to grow tired of all of this, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten a full night's sleep. After all, every night she’d wake up the same way, frantic and scared and she’d be unable to fall back asleep for the rest of the night, in fear of being brought back into that place. The lack of sleep was starting to take a toll on Yvette, not only was she always tired and unable to fully focus most of the time, but the sleep loss was starting to show. Heavy bags started to form under her tired eyes. Yvette let out a long sigh, flopping back down onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling of her apartment. 

She’d gotten back to her empty apartment a few days ago, after being cleared to leave the hospital, her mother had picked her up and spent the entire car drive lecturing Yvette about how reckless and stupid she was. At least when Briar had lectured her she sounded concerned, her mother just sounded angry, so Yvette just tuned her out and looked at the window the whole drive. Yvette was also given pain killers to help with her sore arm, not that she was taking them, they made her tired and that was the opposite of what she needed at the moment. She didn’t want to risk falling asleep unless it was actually necessary, however without the pain killers Yvette’s arm hurt like all hell. The slightest contact made her arm flare up with pain, even now as she laid back her pillow she could her arm begin to grow sore. 

Another sigh escaped her lips, what was Briar doing right now? The two women hadn’t spoken to each other since that day in the hospital and Yvette could only assume it was because Briar was too busy working. That still did stop Yvette from thinking about her though, every day really, she missed seeing Briar at work and she missed seeing her smile. 

Yvette mentally cursed, she shouldn’t be thinking these things and she knew it but at this point, it was pointless to push those thoughts back. Each time she tried to push them down, deep inside of her, they’d come right back but only stronger and even more overwhelming. She still didn’t even know what name to give this feeling was, it was so new to her it was hard to place. Yvette groaned, turning her head to look at her nightstand, her phone was placed there. Perhaps she could call Briar? Have a conversation with her, find out what information she’s been able to find, ask her how it went with questioning everyone at the party. 

No, Yvette turned her head away from her phone, she wasn’t going to feed into these feelings. If she was going to get them to leave, she was going to need to stop thinking about Briar. Which meant no calling her, she’d be able to see her at work in another few days. Then she could ask her how the case is going, because that’s the only reason she should be talking to Briar, for work-related reasons. Not for friendly chit chat, they weren’t friends, they were work colleagues, nothing more and nothing less. 

But Yvette did miss Briar, and Briar did say if she needed her she could call. If Yvette was being honest, right now she needed to talk to Briar, to tell her about the wretched dream that had been plaguing her mind. Maybe talking to Briar would be able to take her mind off of it, perhaps talking to Briar would help. Yvette turned to look at her phone again, would Briar even be up right now? 

She slowly pushed herself up and shuffled herself towards her nightstand, picking up her phone. Yvette cautiously unlocked her phone and opened her contacts, now staring down at Briar’s phone number. The brightness from her phone illuminating the once dark room, Yvette slowly clicked on the call button and brought the phone up to her left ear. Her free hand grabbed onto her loose amber-colored PJ pants, there was no going back now. 

The phone rang once, then twice, then a third and just when Yvette thought it was going to go to voicemail, the phone was answered, “Hello?” Briar asked, her voice was thick with sleep, had Yvette woken her up? Yvette found herself a loss of words, what does she even say, does she apologies for waking her up? Does Briar even realize this is Yvette in the first place? 

“Hey, Briar. It’s...it’s Yvette” she finally said, her voice cracking slightly. She mentally cursed, she sounded so stupid, she shouldn’t have called, she should have just gone back to sleep or went to watch some TV, anything honestly would have been better than waiting for Briar to respond. 

“Yvette?” she paused, a yawn rippling through the phone, “Yvette, why are you calling me so early in the morning?” another yawn, “Is something wrong?” she sounded like she was slowly starting to wake up, her voice was now only somewhat hoarse as she groggily said her words. 

“I just couldn’t sleep” Yvette looked around her, once again checking to see if there was anything looming in the darkness, “I just needed to talk to someone….I’m sorry if I woke you. But now that I think about it, I’m fine, I’ll let you go back to bed” she mumbled weakly, she really shouldn’t have called her. 

Yvette was about to hang up the phone, “Do you want to talk about it?” Briar began, “You don’t have to hang up that phone Yvette, I said you can call me whenever you need me and if you need me right now. I’m here, so do you want to talk about why you couldn’t sleep?” her voice was so gentle, each word she said seemed to roll off her tongue effortlessly. 

Yvette let out a sigh, going back to laying down on her bed, once again staring up at the ceiling, “I just had a nightmare...it’s really nothing” 

“If you’re calling me in the middle of the night, I doubt this nightmare of yours is just nothing. I’m not going to pry it out of you, but I think it would be in your best interest if you share, just to get it off your chest. But, as I said, I won’t pry, if you want we can talk about something else if you want?” 

“Yeah, could we just talk about something else?” 

“Of course, what do you want to talk about?” 

“Can you tell me about yourself, Briar? I’ve known you for almost a month and I know nearly nothing about you” 

Briar’s laugh tore through the speaker, “You want to know about me? Alright, well I’m a twenty-seven-year-old Homicide Detective who was originally from Detroit. My mom is a school teacher and my dad is a doctor, I moved to New York when I was in my early twenties for school. I used to have a roommate, but she moved out a few years ago, so currently, I’m living alone. Well, not completely alone, I have a cat, but she doesn’t like me very much. My favorite color is blue, I enjoy stargazing and I do also enjoy curling up with a good book on a rainy day. What about you Yvette? Tell me about yourself” 

Yvette paused for a moment, she wants to know her? “Um...well I’m a thirty-two-year-old Homicide Detective, I was born here in New York and I’ve lived here my whole life. My mom is the Chief of Police...she’s also our boss” she couldn’t help but smile as she heard Briar laugh on the other side on the phone, “I also live alone, but I don’t own any pets, my favorite color is yellow, I like working, I also enjoy reading as well, but not on rainy days, those are the days where I get most of my work done” 

“What about your dad? What does he do?” Briar asked, she sounded so happy to hear Yvette talk about herself, she sounded so invested to anything Yvette said. It was like she actually cared about her. 

Yvette didn’t say anything, her father, he wasn’t exactly the best topic to bring up, but Briar didn’t know that. But, her father who lives across the world with his own, new family, had a life of his own, one that definitely didn't involve Yvette. In fact, Yvette couldn't even remember the last time she even spoke to her father. She knew she was young when he left, maybe 5 or 6 years old, she also knew her mom was too busy at the time to even raise her properly. That without her father, who used to be very active in Yvette's life, before he took off and left without a second word, Willa had no idea how to raise a child. Yvette honestly doesn't even remember when her mother actually became active in her life. I had to be when she was in her mid-teens, perhaps older? She would be lying if she said she fully considered Willa to be her actual mother, of course, she birthed her, but it wasn't as if she raised Yvette at all, at least not until she was far too old for it to even matter. Yvette's father though, she remembered that she used to look up to him and that was about it, but like any child would be when one of their parent just leaves, Yvette blamed herself. Oh, how she blamed herself, and still to this day, she deep down still felt like she was to blame for her father leaving. Even though she never actually got a reason, Yvette somehow had a feeling, she somehow was linked to him leaving. “He’s not in the picture...he hasn’t been for most of my life” was all Yvette said, she could sense the mood shift entirely. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry Yvette. I shouldn’t have brought it up” Briar apologized, Yvette didn’t answer though, she was too deep in thought. Briar but think less of her now, she couldn’t blame her, she’d pity herself too. Briar had both parents in her life, both who no doubt cared about her, but Yvette only had one and even then, her mother wasn’t entirely the best parent in the world. Yvette knew she tried, but Yvette also knew that her mother had no idea how to raise a child, Yvette would be lying to herself if she didn’t question what her life would be like if her father raised her instead of her mother. If he took her with him, where would she be now? Would she even have the same job she had now? Or would she be something else? How different would her life be? If Yvette wasn’t a detective though, she wouldn’t have gotten shot that's for sure and she wouldn’t have to deal with constant night terrors. She wouldn’t have to worry about her mother always breathing down her neck. She wouldn’t have to worry about having people’s lives in her hand. “Yvette are you still there?” She wouldn’t have met Briar. 

“Yeah, I’m still here” Yvette ran her free hand over her face, she drew out a long sigh, “It’s not your fault, you didn’t know. But trust me, my mom says, he was an asshole anyway, so I somehow have a feeling I don’t think I would have gotten along with him” 

Briar chuckled, “ Oh, so that’s where you get it from?” 

“Excuse me?” Yvette said, dumbfounded, “Did you just call me an asshole?” she should have taken offense to the comment but instead she couldn’t help but smile, laughing slightly. 

Another laugh could be heard from Briar, “Yes, I did just call you an asshole. Because you are one, though I have to hand it to you, you managed to become less of one over the course of me knowing you. At first, you were unbearable, but now you’ve become just a bit more bearable. Now you're more of an idiot than an asshole” she snickered out.

Yvette rolled her eyes, “If anything, you're just as much of an idiot as I am. I mean, you thought swinging your arms back while I’m balancing you on my shoulders was a good idea? Did you forget that momentum was a thing? If it wasn’t for me, you’d have fallen to the ground and hurt yourself?” 

“Ah, so you were concerned about my safety that day?” she said, “And here I thought you still hated me then”

“I never hated you” Yvette blurt out before she could stop herself, there was silence on the other side of the phone so Yvette took the time to continue, “I never hated you, Briar, I don’t think I could every actually hate you, you’ve done so much for me and I’ve done so little for you. And even before you saved my life, I never hated you, I didn’t even dislike you. I just...didn’t want you around? I know that sounds harsh but I just wanted to work alone, because that’s what I was used to do things, I've always worked alone, I’ve only worked one other case with someone else...and that went poorly. So I was mostly just worried that that might happen again, or that you wouldn’t know how to do your job because you were so new. But, now that I’ve actually worked with you, I've started to realize that it was wrong for me to think those things and to treat you the way I did. I know I already said this, but please understand that I am sorry for all of that. It was wrong of me to act so, so childish. You’re right though, I was an asshole to you, and I’m sorry for that” she ranted. 

There was a long pause on the other side of the phone and Yvette half expected Briar to hang up, the silence that filled the room was almost suffocating. Had she said something wrong? Had she offended Briar? She didn’t mean to, “Thank you for that Yvette…” Briar paused, “You know how I said that I’d forgive you when you start acting like my partner...well, I forgive you now. Truly” she said softly, though Yvette couldn’t answer. 

“Thank you,” Yvette said, she could hear her voice crack as she spoke but for once she didn’t care, she was too focused on what Briar had said. Briar forgave her and felt as if a weight had been lifted off of Yvette’s shoulders, she didn’t even know why though. It’s not as if she was keen to get the other woman to forgive her, she honestly thought she didn’t care. But now, at that moment, Briar’s forgiveness felt like the most important thing to Yvette. She let out a sigh as a ghost of a smile began to form on her face, she ran her free hand over her face, “It means a lot to know I’m forgiven” she mumbled as she stared intensely at the ceiling, “You know, I kinda forgot about that part of our conversation” 

Briar laughed again, “If I’m being honest, I forgot too. Since I’d actually forgiven you a long time ago, but I just never told you. And I thought since we were on the topic of apologies, I thought it would be best if I brought it up” Yvette couldn’t help but let herself smile, even more, a goofy grin now plastered onto her face. 

“When did you actually forgive me?” 

“Probably when you offered to drive me in your car, I assumed that you didn't let just anyone in there, so it was nice. I felt special in all honesty...I’ve been meaning to ask you, Yvette. When you nearly crashed the car...were you alright? You seemed really off and I was worried”

“I was just deep in thought, it was nothing though. But sorry about worrying you though. And almost crashing the car with you in it” 

“Well, it couldn’t have been just nothing. It looked like you were in your own world, so, I must ask, what were you thinking about?” she asked, Yvette mentally cursed, what was she supposed to say? She couldn’t just say nothing, because frankly, it wasn’t just nothing, Briar was right about that. Yet, she also couldn’t go and openly admit that she was thinking about Briar, who knew how she would react. It probably wouldn't be in a positive way though. 

“Work” was all Yvette said, she wasn’t going to tell Briar, at least not now. She didn’t want to ruin everything that’s happened so far. 

Yvette heard Briar hum in response, “Work? Really? You were thinking about work that intensely that you were completely unaware of the world around you? I’m not an idiot Yvette, what were you really thinking about? I promise I won’t judge you too much” she said jokingly. 

She nervously laughed in response, Yvette now sitting up in bed, her back pressed firmly against the headboard. “It’s nothing important Briar really” she didn’t know what else to say, she wasn’t going to admit the truth and her mind had run blank with any sort of lie. "How's the case going?" Yvette asked, quickly changed the subject. 

There was a long pause on the other side of the phone before a small snicker could be heard, "You don't want to tell me that badly that you're bringing up work this early in the morning? I'll tell you what I've gotten so far though, but I will get you to tell me one day." there was silence on the other side of the phone, only the sound of faint shuffling could be heard and then after a few moments the sound of a light switch being flicked on, followed by the sound of paper being moved around, "Ok, well first, when I went to and question a handful of adults from the party, I hadn't gotten too much information out of them, since most of them were friends of Mr.Smith instead of Cassy Smith. But I did manage to talk to Mr.Smith, who was both hungover and distraught, he was also the hardest to get any information out of. His sister though, she was just spewing out information, I also had managed to talk to her the night prior. The night Ms.Smith got murdered, and even though she seems to have a very strong distaste from her late sister-in-law, she couldn't have committed the murder. Neither could Mr. Smith might I add because he lacked any bullet wound. And honestly, everyone who was questioned also lacked any bullet wounds" 

"Did you ask them if they saw anyone suspicious at the party?" Yvette asked, now sitting up from her bed, leaning back onto the headboard. "And what was the name of Mr.Smith's sister, I was unaware he had one"

More papers were shuffled around on Briar's end of the phone, "Um...If I remember correctly it was Brooklyn Williams, but there is something interest I think I should add about her. Do you remember Liza Wilison, the girl that lived next door to Ms.Anderson?" 

"Yeah...what about her?" 

"Well, it turns out, that that isn't her actual name. Her actual name is Samatha Elizabeth Jones, and she's engaged to Ms.Williams. Now, call this just a hunch but Samatha and Cassy used to be friends, and they had a third friend named-"

"Paula Brown" Yvette interjected, she could feel her heart drop into her stomach, she thought that Samatha's lighter being at one of the crime scenes was just meant to be sick joke put on by the killer. Yvette thought that Samatha wasn't back in New York, she thought that Samatha knew better than to come back to New York especially with it being so close to the anniversary of that day and Samatha's father. Was he aware that she was back? Was Samatha even safe? How did Yvette not recognize her? "Briar I have to go," Yvette said quickly as she hung up the phone without a second thought. 

She quickly began to scroll through her phone, looking for another person to call, Yvette couldn't believe she was calling him but she had no choice. He'd know what was going on right? He would have a reason that would explain why Samatha was back, and with Brooklyn of all people. Yvette could feel her heart beating rapidly as she brought the phone up to her ear, James had to know what was happening? Or was he just as clueless as Yvette was about this new ordeal? She waiting for what felt like forever, waiting for him to pick up, but there was no response, it only went to voicemail. Yvette could her heart beating faster, why hadn't he picked up? He couldn't still be mad at her even after all these years, he couldn't still hate her for the mistake she'd made, he couldn't still have blamed her for messing up on her part in the Paula Brown case.


	10. Sloth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Briar thinks she knows who the killer is and Yvette is in denial

Yvette could feel her heart drop into her stomach as she looked at the body that was dangling across the room. She could feel the breakfast she’d eaten only an hour prior begin to threaten to come back up, yet she still managed to keep her face emotionless. She felt like there was a pit in her stomach that only seemed to grow larger and heavier the longer she looked at the body, she wanted to look away, Yvette wanted to look away so badly but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She forced herself to look at the male body, which was draped lazily over one of the branches that were a part of the snake exhibit in the Central Park Zoo. The man's eyes were glassed over, his mouth partly agape and even he was in what appeared to be his nightwear. He was in his mid-thirties only a few years older than Yvette and she knew that, his copper-colored hair was messy and uneven which would have been expected. His pale skin was littered with bruises and cuts that seemed to have been mostly focused towards his face, even though the previous victims had their fair share of bruising, this was worse. It looked like the killer had lost their composure and lashed out, doing far more damage to this victim then what they’d done before. 

The other people who surrounded her seemed to have disappeared, all the talking citizens behind her, the police officers and forensic had long since faded away. Right now, Yvette was in her own world, too deep in thought to even realize that Briar was waving her hand frantically in front of her face. She didn’t pay any mind to Briar calling her name from beside her, because for once Briar wasn’t what was on Yvette's mind. Right now, at that moment, Yvette felt herself grow even more nauseated, the pit that had settled in her stomach had long since grown large, now completely weighing Yvette down. She knew she should look away, but she just couldn’t, because this was different from all the other murders, she knew this person. She’d work with this person, she used to be friends with this person, he used to be her partner. 

Why him though? What had James done to deserve this, he was far more compassionate toward other people than Yvette, what could he have possibly done that would have linked him to all these murders. What did the killer have against him to drag him into this, and to have the audacity to leave him in such a state. Who was Yvette kidding, the killer didn’t care, it wasn’t as if there were any feeling between those black eyes that she saw that night. James had seen those eyes too hadn’t he, before he was killed, did they look back at him with the same uncaring gaze or did they portray actual emotion? What did he see before he was killed, how did he even die? 

Yvette has quickly jerked out her thoughts when she felt Briar shaking her, she finally tore her gaze away from the body now looking down at Briar. She looked so worried as she looked Yvette up and down, her hands still resting on Yvette’s forearm. Neither of them said anything at the moment, Yvette was still too deep in thought as she looked down at Briar, her face devoid of any emotions. Whereas Briar just looked up at Yvette with pleading eyes, “Are you ok Yvette?” she finally said, was Yvette alright? She didn’t feel alright, she felt like she wanted to throw up in sheer disgust of having to see James in such a state, yet she also wanted to cry because she couldn’t help but feel like she was to blame for this. Yvette knew she couldn’t cry though, it wasn’t in her character to do that and she most certainly wasn’t going to do it here, in public where everyone could see her. 

She thought for a few more moments before stiffly nodding her head, “Yeah, I’m fine” Yvette’s voice wavered slightly as she spoke, she took another glance at the body feeling a wave of dread wash over her. She cleared her throat before she spoke again, this time putting on a small smile as she looked down at Briar, “Just a bit shaken up is all, I thought we would have has at least another few days before the killer murdered someone else” she sounded so confident when she said those words, Yvette needed to be, Briar didn’t need to know how she was feeling. Briar looked her over again, her brows furrowing as she did so, she wasn’t convinced by Yvette’s response, “Briar, I’m fine, ok? You don’t need to worry about me, now shall we continue with what we were doing” 

Briar’s gaze softened, “You know I’m going to worry about you whether or not you tell me you’re fine” she let out a small sigh, “But I’ll believe, for now, if you say you’re fine, then I guess you’re fine. I can’t force anything out of you” 

“Thank you, Briar, now please continue with catching me up with what you were able to find out over the week of my absence” Yvette seemed to always have a habit to bring work up whenever she wanted to avoid talking about something important and Briar was slowly starting to realize that. Couldn’t Yvette see though that it wasn’t helping her to just avoid the problem at hand, Briar wanted to get it out of Yvette, get her to talk about whatever was clearly weighing on her. Briar could see right through the façade that Yvette was trying so desperately trying to put on and Briar couldn’t help but feel bad for her partner. Keeping whatever she’s feeling inside of her isn’t good, and sooner or later all the pent up emotions that she’s cramping down are going to come up. Even though Yvette told Briar not to worry, she was going to worry anyway, she cared about Yvette perhaps a bit too much then she probably should. That didn’t matter though, what mattered was helping Yvette and if she wasn’t going to start opening up sooner or later, Briar was going to have, as much as she didn’t want to, force it out of her. 

Briar pulled her hands back, as Yvette began to walk away, she followed close behind, “Well, as I was saying a few days ago, before you abruptly hung up. Which you once again, haven’t explained why. You haven’t explained a lot of things if I’m being honest” she grumbled out the last part but it seemed that Yvette didn’t hear her, “But I was saying that though this is only just a small theory of mine, I think I’ve managed to come up with a good idea of a suspect who could be committing all these murders” 

“I’m listening,” Yvette said, as she pushed her way past police officers. 

“Well, as you might remember, back when we went to go and question Mr.Anderson, he brought up a case his mother had been working. The Paula Brown case, now, I also had spoken to Mrs.Smith’s sister-in-law along with her, Mr.Smith and well, it seems that those three as well were involved in the murder case. To be specific though, Mrs.Smith, who used to be close friends with the victim along with Mr.Smith’s sister, Brooklyn Williams, I brought her up during our call”

“I remember, she’s engaged isn’t she” 

“Yes, to a Samatha Jones. If what I got from Ms. Williams is right, I do believe that Samatha might be the best suspect for these murders” 

Briar watched as Yvette stiffened up at the comment, “What makes you say that” 

“Well, because both Mr.Smith and his sister say that Samatha was the one who witnesses the murder of Paula Brown, and as horrible as that sounds. It gets worse, apparently, it was Samatha’s father who actually killed Paula, but they both brought up a good point. There was more than one person involved in this whole event, one of them being Mr.Jackson, the man who was burned alive. Not only that but apparently Samatha and Cassy never got along, and when Cassy had claimed that she was the one who saw the murder take place, their distaste for one another only grew. Not only that but Brooklyn said something that stuck out to me, Cassy envied Paula, Envy, Cassyy Smith was Envy. So we have Envy, Greed, and Lust-”

“What does this have to do with Samatha being the killer” 

“Right, well, the reason why I think she could be the killer is that the killer said this is like a story right? The story, at least from what I think is following Paula Brown's case, I mean it just makes sense. All of the victims thus far have been connected to the case in one way or another, and the whole thing, even the investigation centered around Samatha. Since she was the only person they had to testify and the only person who had actual evidence against her father. Not only that, but the lighter that we had found, at Mr.Jackson's crime scene, it belonged to Samatha. It was a gift from Brooklyn, and the killer said they’d leave clues that would lead us to finding out who they are, well the only clue that we’ve managed to find was that lighter which points us towards Samatha as being the most likely suspect” 

“Briar, that means nothing. For all, we know the killer could have just left that there to lead us away from who they really are” 

“But they said that they’re taking this thing that they’re doing seriously, they are taking this game seriously. And leaving a fake clue would just be ruining the game that they made. Not only that but no one has seen nor spoken to Samantha since these murders have started. The only contact anyone has actually had from her was a day before Ms.Anderson was killed, and she called Brooklyn to say she was ‘Going away for a bit’. We are the only ones who have spoken to her and even then she didn’t go by her real name, I didn’t even realize they were the same person until Brooklyn brought it up. That she’d been calling herself ‘Liza Wilson’ to avoid drawing the attention of her father. Yvette, no one has seen, talked, or even heard from Samatha for almost a month, and these killings have been going on for almost a month. This can’t just be a coincidence” Briar said sternly, of course, she knew her conclusion lacked enough evidence for Samatha to actually be charged for this offense, but Briar had this feeling that it couldn’t be anyone else. It just seemed likely to be her, but that still left so many questions, why was she doing all of this? What made her do all of this? Why the theme of the seven deadly sins? 

“I couldn’t be her,” Yvette said simply as the two ducked under the police tape, now standing face to face with the body. He looked worse up close, the few scratches and bruises that could be seen from a distance seemed to have multiplied now that they were up close. His face was all battered and bruised, he had a cut lip and several deep scratches that stretched long distances across his face. He also had large purple blotches all over his body, those they seemed to be mostly at his wrist and ankles. There was also an area on his right forearm that seemed to have swollen and was red with irritation. Yvette could feel the nausea that had once settled slowly begin to build back up from within her, being this close to his body, being able to see nearly every injury he’d sustained. It was overwhelming for Yvette. 

Briar let out a small sigh, only giving the body a small side glance before bringing her attention back to Yvette, “You sound so sure, you didn’t even know who she was until a few nights ago. What makes you immediately cross her off as being a suspect”

“Because I know she couldn’t have done it,” she said, her eyes still fixated on James’ body. What if Briar was right though and Samatha had done all of this, Yvette didn’t want to think about it but it would make far too much sense if she was the one behind all of this. She couldn’t help but mentally curse, how did she not recognize her, even now as she thinks back to that day the young adult seemed to have barely changed over the years. Did Samatha even recognize her? Yvette did cut her hair and stopped wearing her glasses, replacing them instead with contacts and she did change her choice in fashion. Still, Samatha had to at least recognize her name, or did she really cram all the events that were related to Paula’s death so far down that she’d forgotten?

Briar scoffed, crossing her arms, “Why are you saying that you’re acting like you know the girl” she paused for a moment, looking at Yvette, watching as the other woman clenched her jaw as if to force the words that wanted to come out back down, “Yvette is there something you aren’t telling me” Yvette didn’t say anything, “Yvette, do you know Samatha Jones?” 

Yvette stayed silent, she didn’t know Samatha well, James was the one who mostly spoke to her when it came to her questioning. He was far better than her when it came to dealing with children and with Samatha in the state that she was in at the time, terrified and in shock, it took a while for James to actually get her to start talking. Yvette merely stayed on the other side of the reciprocal mirror, looking into the interrogation room during Samatha’s questioning. Instead, Yvette had the luxury of questioning Cassy Smith and Brooklyn Wiliams, both of which were equally as difficult to get information out of. Cassy was in too much of a hysteria to even form a proper sentence and Brooklyn was too stubborn to get to talk without asking how Samantha was every few minutes. That still didn’t mean that Yvette hadn’t met Samatha, she was given a chance to talk to the young teen after James had grown too tired to go on. The look that she gave Yvette when she first saw her, she looked so scared and so shaken up by everything that she just sat across from Yvette and just looked at the wall beside her. She would shake every now and again, sneaking a fearful glance at Yvette before quickly darting her eyes away, going back to looking at the wall. That was the first time Yvette had actually dealt with someone like this, when she had watched James speak to her it seemed so easy for him. But for her, she was at a loss of what to do, it wasn’t until Samatha asked about Paula did Yvette actually have an opening to get her to talk.

However, that opening led to a place that only made Samatha’s state worse. When the young teen asked about her friend, Yvette was forced to tell her that she’d died and of course that set her off and Yvette was told by James to leave. Even after all those years Yvette still couldn’t get the terrified look in Samatha’s hollow eyes out of her mind, she would be lying if she didn’t deep down think that it could be Samatha who killed James and everyone else. But Yvette just didn’t want to even think about it being her, how could a young teen who was so terrified of the world around her go onto committing all these terrible crimes. 

“Yvette, did you hear what I said?” Briar asked, Yvette hadn’t even realized she zoned out, she shifted her attention to Briar. 

“It’s none of your concern” Yvette spat. 

“Excuse me? This is most definitely my concern Yvette, this isn’t just some little thing, this has to do with this case, this murder case. People are dying Yvette and people are going to keep dying unless we find out who this killer is and we stop them before it’s too late. So if you know something that you’re not sharing, I would highly recommend you do so, at least for this one thing can you please just tell me you’re hiding” Briar pleaded, she knew she shouldn’t be pushing Yvette but this was important. If Briar’s hunch was right, and Samatha was the person behind these murders then the two of them needed to start trying to find her. She’d already killed four people, making her a verified serial killer, which also made her a threat. The two of them had already let her get away once, Briar wasn’t about to let Samatha get away again. 

Yvette scoffed as she looked away from Briar, “You aren’t my mother Briar I don’t have to tell you anything” Yvette bit down on her inner cheek as she let out a sigh. She should be telling Briar what she knows, Yvette wasn’t that stupid, this information was important. But she didn’t want to admit that Samantha could be the one behind all of this, she couldn’t see that once frightened teen becoming a heartless killer. 

“Yvette” Briar paused, why was she being so difficult, “I’m not going to force you to tell me, but I think it would be in your best interest to tell me. Can you at least answer one question” Yvette gave Briar a side glance, “Are you somehow a part of this? As in are you somehow a part of this ‘story’ that this killer has put together” 

The older woman didn’t say anything and instead thought for a moment, if she said no, Briar wouldn’t believe her, and she had every right not to. Briar could also very easily go into past records of cases and find that indeed, Yvette was a part of the Paula Brown case, alongside James Davis, whose dead body was only a few feet away from the two women. Yvette really didn’t want to admit it, but the more she thought about it, the more Samatha being the killer became more likely. She stiffly nodded, “Yes, I was involved in the Paula Brown case. I was one of the detectives assigned to the case along with…” she paused, going back to looking at James’ dead body, “Along with James Davis, the killers most recent victim” 

She watched as realization dawned on Briar, a gasp escaped her lips as her eyes darted between James and Yvette, “You knew this victim. Oh my god, Yvette I’m so sorry. I didn’t know, you must be fe-”

“It’s fine, he hated me anyways” Yvette sighed out, she wasn’t wrong, he did hate her. At least he did by the end of the case, and she couldn’t really blame him. James didn’t deserve what Yvette did to him and frankly she’d been meaning to apologize to him but never had a chance to, now it was far too late. A feeling of guilt began to build up inside of Yvette, what if this really was her fault? Out of all the victims so far, they all made sense, they all in one way or another deserved what they got. But James didn’t do anything besides work to clean up after Yvette’s mistakes, to fix her error that she’d blamed on him. He overworked himself just to fix Yvette’s part of the investigation, leaving no time for his own reports. A thought began to creep up in the back of Yvette’s mind, James was so busy doing her work that he wasn’t able to do his own, he slacked off. Realization struck Yvette, James was Sloth, and she was to blame for that. She truly was to blame for James’ death.


	11. To Name that Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvette finally admits her feelings to Briar

As realization began to settle deep within Yvette’s mind, only now did she fully grasp the severity of all of this. She grew stiff as she looked at the body which had long since been pulled down from the branch, now lying lifeless on the ground. Yvette could feel a wave of guilt begin to wash over her, this was her fault, the killer had done this because of Yvette’s mistake. How was she to know though? Five years ago she was more concerned with living up to her mother’s expectations, she was so focused on doing so, that they day her Willa had called Yvette into her office to discuss a lack of reports. Yvette had frozen up, she knew that if she said that it was her fault, her mother would be disappointed in her, so she blamed James. At the time it didn’t seem like a big deal, even after the case was closed it still wasn’t a big deal. She never faced any repercussions until now. 

Briar looked up at Yvette, watching as her partner was quick to turn on her heel, quickly walking back from where they came from. At first, the shift in Yvette’s attitude took Briar by surprise and it took her a moment to realize that something was clearly wrong. As she looked back at Yvette, who was hastily pushing through the crowd, her hand shoved deep in her jacket pocket as she looked for her car keys. Yvette was clearly in some sort of distress, and Briar knew that, but would it be wise to follow after her. She had work to do, but then again, she wouldn’t get any work done, knowing that Yvette wasn’t alright. 

With her mind made, Briar was quick to follow behind Yvette, pushing through the crowds of people until she was finally out of the stuffy exhibit. She’d lost Yvette in the crowd though, Briar whipped her head to her left, nothing, then she whipped her head to the right and much to her relief. Caught a quick glimpse of blonde hair descending down the flight of stairs that lead to the entrance to the zoo. Briar ran to catch up with Yvette, though with the heels she was wearing it was more of a jog. She lifted up her skirt as she made her way down the stairs, now being able to fully see Yvette who was still briskly walking to the entrance, her keys in hand. Briar sighed as she began running again, this was the second time she’s running after Yvette, only this time, thankfully, Yvette’s life wasn’t at risk. 

“Yvette!” she called as she pushed through another crowd of people, Briar watched as Yvette paused for a moment before picking up her pace once again, this time a bit faster than before. She tried to pick up her pace as well, but her shoes weren’t making it easy. Begrudgingly she stopped but she still kept an eye on Yvette making sure not to lose her as she took off her heels. With her shoes in hand, Briar was now able to freely run to catch up to her partner and when she finally did, she was quick to take hold of Yvette's left wrist. “Yvette, where are you going. You can’t just…” she found herself at a loss of words as she looked at Yvette. She was crying, “Yvette” she paused, she couldn’t just ask if she was alright, because clearly Yvette wasn’t. The two of them stood in silence for a moment, being masked by the shade that was created by the archway that they stood under. The only sound that could be heard was the passing traffic and Yvette occasional sniffles. 

“I’m fine Briar,” Yvette finally spoke up, her voice wavering as she spoke. 

Briar looked up a her, her brows knitted together in concern, “You aren’t fine Yvette”

“I am fine Briar and will stop acting like you care. Can stop constantly asking if I’m alright, you don’t need to do that, you aren’t my friend Briar. So stop acting like you are, you’re my work colleague in case you’ve forgotten. Which means that the only reason I’m even putting up with you is because of this stupid fucking case! Once this case is done, we won’t ever be speaking to each other again, we probably won’t even see each other again once all of this is over! And I’ll be fucking glad when that happens, I’ll be so relieved I won’t have to put up with you and your incompetence any longer” Yvette spat out as she yanked her wrist out of Briar’s hold. Before the other woman could say anything else, Yvette pushed past Briar, now storming her way towards her car, “And don’t go and chase after me again, it’s fucking childish” she hissed before she disappeared around the corner, leaving Briar alone.

When Yvette was finally gone, Briar couldn’t help but feel hurt, she was only trying to help. Apparently Yvette didn’t want to be helped though, something that she’s made very clear. Briar scoffed as she looked down at her shoes, she should have known better, she should have followed her gut when it came to Yvette. Her partner didn’t care about Briar, she only cared about herself and this case, and Briar was foolish enough to think otherwise. Briar couldn’t believe how stupid she was, she risked her life to save Yvette, she spent nights worrying about her well being, she cared for Yvette but clearly the feeling wasn’t mutual. She let out a sigh as she slid her shoes back on and began to make her way back to the crime scene. Yvette didn’t want her to follow her, that’s fine, she had better things to do. 

______________________

Yvette looked up at her ceiling from her place on her couch, her neck hung over the back of the couch, her mind was in hazy and her body a numb as she sat there motionless. She wasn’t dead, as much as at that moment she wished she was, no instead Yvette was just so deep in thought that she stopped caring about the world around her. Every now and again she shifts the position she was sitting in, from looking out her apartment window, taking in the evening sky, to just looking up at the ceiling like she was going now.

Normally when Yvette was like this, she would consider calling Briar, but of course, she couldn’t go and do that now could she? What was she thinking when she said those things to Briar? Was she even thinking or was she so caught up in her own emotions that she was just spewing out the first thing that came to mind? Briar meant well and Yvette knew that that was one of the main reasons why she even liked the other women in the first place because she cared about Yvette. She made Yvette feel things she’d never felt before, even though she couldn’t place what the feeling was, she knew it showed up when Briar did. At first, Yvette didn’t like it but slowly she was starting to grow accustom to it, and she was starting to like Briar. How could she not, she was smart, she was pretty, she was snarky at times but she also managed to be so kind and caring. Yvette let out a small groan as she ran her hands over her face, she really did mess up. She wanted to apologize to Briar because frankly, Yvette didn’t really want to risk losing her and this feeling that she brought along. Yvette had grown too attached to them both and she didn’t know what she would do if she lost them. 

Who’s to say that Briar will even forgive her, her words were harsh and unnecessary. Yvette couldn’t just call because honestly, she wouldn’t put it past Briar to just not answer the phone, but Yvette needed to apologize. Even if Briar didn’t forgive her, Yvette knew that she at least just had to try. How though? Calling was out of the picture, and she didn’t know where Briar lived. An idea suddenly found it’s way into Yvette’s mind, her mother would know. Or at the very least her mother would have access to the database where Briar’s address could be found. It was worth a shot. 

Yvette pushed herself up so that she was now sitting upright, she grabbed at her phone and began to scroll through the shortlist of contacts that she had saved. Her finger hovered her mother’s number, would her mother find it weird that she was asking for Briar’s address? She could just lie and say it was about work. Yvette shook her head, no, no more lying, if her mother asks she’ll tell the truth. She brought her phone up to her left as it began to ring, Yvette brought her knees to her chest as she waited, the ringing from her phone echoed slightly in her empty apartment. 

She waited for a moment, half expecting it to go to voicemail but much to her surprise, her mother picked up the phone, “Yvette” Willa’s voice cut through the phone, “To what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call? It isn’t any special occasion last time I checked, and you should be done working by now. So why did you call me?” 

Yvette nervously laughed, “It’s not a special occasion, you’re right about that. I just called to ask for a small favor” 

Willa sighed on the other side of the phone, “You called me because you needed a favor, and here a thought you called because you actually wanted to talk to me” she grumbled out the last part, “Alright, what is it, Yvette” 

“Can I have Briar’s address?” Yvette said bluntly. 

There was a pause on the other side on Willa’s side of the phone, “What?” 

“Like where she lives mom, I was hoping you could tell me where she lives” 

“I know what an address is Yvette, I’m saying what because I don’t understand why you'd need to have Briar’s address. Is this for work-related purposes or are you just planning on stopping for a friendly little visit….does she even know you’ll be coming over?” Willa question. 

Yvette sighed, she knew this was coming, “I just need it, mom, can you please just give it to me” 

“Yvette, I’m not going to just give it to you. I’m not exactly allowed to be just handing out people’s information without their consent” she paused again, “Why do you even need this? Couldn’t you two just discuss whatever you need to discuss during work”

“Mom, this is important, I-”

“Well if it’s so ‘important’ why don’t you tell me what it is and then if I think it’s actually important. Then I’ll give you her address, how does that sound Yvette?” Willa proposed though Yvette stayed silent on the other side of the phone. How much could she share with her mother, she couldn’t just say her and Briar got into an argument because then she’ll ask what it was about. The Yvette will have to explain that she lost her temper, and then she’ll have to explain why. In the end, it would circle back to Yvette’s lie from all those years ago, and even though Yvette wanted to be truthful with her mother, she didn’t want to admit to that. At least not yet. 

“I made a mistake, and I said some things I didn’t mean. And before you say, ‘well why can’t you talk about this tomorrow?’ It’s because I don’t know if Briar will listen to me tomorrow, I hurt her, I know I did and I didn’t mean to and I just want to apologize to her as soon as I can. I don’t want her to think that I really meant the things that I said, because I don’t! I didn’t mean a word of what I said, I regret saying that she’s not my friend, frankly, I care about her even more than a friend normally should and I just don’t want to lose her just because I was being ignorant. I don’t want to lose everything I’ve managed to make with her, I don’t want to lose this feeling that she makes me feel. Because if I’m being honest, I’ve grown to love this feeling because it’s fucking amazing. No one has made me feel this way before, and I don’t even know what this feeling even is. I just know it has to do with her. So please, can I make things right and apologies for what I said” Yvette let out a small sigh of relief, she’d been wanting to say that out loud of so long, even though she still didn’t know what the feeling was and frankly she was fine with never finding out. As long as she is going to be able to keep feeling it and that she would be able to still be around Briar, even if it was just for the remainder of this case. Briar had made Yvette so much happier in the month that they’d know each other and Yvette loved it. A small smile began to creep onto Yvette’s face at the thought. 

“I sent it” Willa’s voice threw Yvette’s thoughts. 

“What?” Yvette asked. 

“I sent you her address...please don’t make me regret this Yvette” and with that Willa hung up the phone. Yvette wasted no time, she quickly pushed herself up from the couch, grabbed her car keys, and with that she quickly made her way towards the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she took in a long breath as the smile on her face only grew, and without a second thought she opened the door and left, she had some fixing to do. 

__________________

The sound knocking caught Briar off guard as she poked her head out of her office, she furrowed her brow as she looked up at the clock. Who would be knocking at her door this late, she wasn’t expecting anyone and she didn’t order anything that might be coming today. She slowly closed her laptop and stood up from her chair, cautiously making her way towards the door. The knocking continued which also drew the attention of Briar’s cat, which too began to make its way towards the door. Briar looked down at her cat which looked back up at her owner, both of them equally as confused as to who was on the other side of the door. Briar kneeled down and picked up her cat before answering the door, holding the cat under her right arm as she grasped the doorknob with her free hand. She unlocked her door and slowly pulled it open, only just enough so she could see who exactly was at the door. 

Briar found herself at a loss of word as she looked up to find Yvette standing at the door, an awkward smile plastered on the other woman’s face. What was Yvette doing at her apartment at this time at night? Briar paused, how did Yvette even know where she lived? Yvette was still wearing her work clothes, a white button-up top with a black blazer on top which went somewhat well with the blackwork pants she decided to wear. She still looked professional, the least could be said about Briar though. She had long changed out of her work clothes and changed into her regular attire, which meant just a blue robe and slippers. 

Briar took no time to close the door again, not allowing Yvette to say so much as a ‘hello’, she wasn’t in the mood to deal with Yvette, she wanted at least one day just to think about everything. Though the moment Briar began to walk away from the door, the knocking started again, the young detective let out a small sigh, “I’m not in the mood Yvette” she called, “Just go home, and leave me alone, please” 

“I just want to apologize, Briar, can you please open the door,” Yvette asked, though it sounded more like she was begging. She really wasn’t going to leave until Briar opened the door was she? Briar shouldn’t have expected anything less, Yvette was stubborn, and at times Briar liked that about her but right now that wasn’t the case. Nonetheless, Briar placed her cat down and opened the door once again, this time fully, giving her a full view of Yvette, she was shorter than usual. Normally Briar was only at her shoulder height, but this time the two of them were nearly eye-to-eye. 

She didn’t pay it any mind though, she crossed her arm as she glared at Yvette, “What are you doing here?” she spat, “And how did you find out where I lived, I never gave you my address” 

Yvette let out a nervous laugh as she felt Briar’s gaze on her, “I came here to apologize for what I said and I ask my mother for your address” she mumbled out the last part, averting her gaze for Briar. “But that’s not important, as I said, I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have said those things today. You're not incompetent, you aren’t childish and you are my friend. At least I see you as one” she paused for a moment, “Briar, you are extremely kind and caring and you have treated me with nothing but kindness and I….and I repay you with me being ignorant and snarky and rude, and you don’t deserve to be treated like that. You deserve to be treated so much better, I know I shouldn’t have said those things from today, or even the things that I’ve said before to you, all the horrible things I've said in the past I shouldn't have. But I did say those things, and I want to take all of them back and I know you probably do even want to talk to me right now, and you probably think it’s weird and creepy that I just showed up to your house uninvited and unannounced. But I don't want to lose everything that I care about, I don’t want to lose this feeling that you’ve managed to make me feel, I don’t want to lose your kindness, I don’t want to lose the one person who’s actually cared about me. I don’t want to lose you, Briar, I can’t bear to lose you because I love you, Briar. I can’t believe that I’m saying this but I love you, I love you more than you could even imagine and I know I have done a shitty job at showing it. And even if you don’t want anything to do with me after this, I just want you to know that I care about you and that I’m sorry for everything I’ve done” Yvette didn’t even realize she was crying until she felt Briar reach up, cupping her face and gingerly wipe away some of the stray tears with her thumb. A ghost of a smile appearing on her face.

“Do you mean it?” Briar softly asked. 

Yvette leaning into Briar’s touch as she slowly nodded her head, “Of course I mean it, I wouldn’t just go on some long tangent just so say something that isn’t true” Yvette placed her hand onto of Briars, “I love you Briar” 

“Yes, you shouldn’t have said the things that you said to” the slight smile that was present on Briar’s face slowly began to grow, “But I forgive you, and…” she paused for a moment, “and you’ll be happy to know that I love you too” Yvette let out a sound that sounded like a mixture of a sob and chuckle, normally she would never let such a sound escape her lip but she was far to caught up in the moment to care. She was in her own world, and in this world was only her and Briar, Yvette looked down at Briar as she moved her hand from over Brair’s and instead cupped Briar’s face, leaning in. Briar caught on quickly and began to lean in as well, though she had to crane her neck slightly to be able to meet Yvette halfway, it was more than worth it when their lips met. 

Briar’s lips were soft as they moved against Yvette’s, she couldn’t help but smile into the kiss as she felt Briar’s arms snake around her neck, pulling her closer. Yvette couldn’t believe what was happening, she was still caught up in her own world, unaware when Briar slowly began to step back, pulling Yvette into her apartment with her. She didn’t pay attention when Briar slowly began to pull off her cardigan and her hands began to slide under Yvette’s shirt. Yvette didn’t care, she was far too happy because she was finally able to place that feeling that had been burning inside of her, it was love, Yvette loved Briar and Briar loved her.


	12. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff before stuff goes downhill in a few chapters

The sun that filtered through the window shone into Yvette’s face, causing her to stir in the bed. She let out a small grunt as she tried to use her hands to shade herself from it, but with no such luck, she merely turned onto her side. In her half-asleep state, it took Yvette a moment to realize the other sleeping body that laid beside her. It wasn’t until Yvette stretched out one of her legs did she realize, she paused for a moment drawing her leg back, before slowly stretching it again. Once again, it hit something. She normally had plenty of space to stretch out in her bed, that’s why she got it, so she could have plenty of breathing space and then some. 

Yvette pushed herself up, slowly lifted the blanket that covered her, the once tired state that she was in melted away almost immediately as she became very aware of the situation she was in. The first was that she wasn’t wearing any clothes, her body littered with dark blotches that spanned from the top of her torso down to her thighs. Yvette quickly dropped the blanket, a blush starting to creep onto her face. The next thing that she realized was that this wasn’t her room, Yvette’s bedroom was painted a dark amber color, with a wooden desk in the corner alongside a dresser and the door to her bathroom. This room was painted a cobalt blue and where Yvette’s walls were empty, this one was covered in paintings. Yvette would have normally found this type of atmosphere calming, with all the soft variations of blue that were everywhere but at the moment she was too busy trying to process everything around her to relax. 

She tried to recall what had happened yesterday in her still somewhat groggy state. Yvette remembered getting into an argument with Briar and calling her mother to ask for Briar's address. She also remembers spending the entire drive there rehearsing what to say, but then when she showed up at Briar’s apartment she completely forgot what to say and just went on a long rant. Said rant included a bunch of things that Yvette didn’t entirely remember since at that point she was just spewing anything and everything that came to mind but the one thing she did remember was saying that she loved Briar and that Briar said she loved her back. From there everything was just a messy, blissful blur. 

Briar, Yvette was still in Briar’s apartment and she assumed that this was also Briar’s bedroom. Why was she naked though in Briar’s bed though? Where was Briar? Something stirred next to Yvette which caused her to jerk back, that was when the other sleeping body came into view as they turned to face Yvette. She found herself at a loss of words as she looked at Briar, who still peacefully slept beside her, a content sigh leaving the other woman. Was Briar naked too? Yvette slowly took hold of the blanket and lifted it once again, she froze, Briar was definitely naked. Yvette didn’t know what to do, what could she do? She didn’t know where her clothes were and she wasn’t about to go running to her car naked. Yvette also didn’t want to exactly leave Briar, because she somehow had a feeling Briar wouldn’t be too pleased to find out Yvette left abruptly. So she did the only thing that there was left to do, she laid back down. 

Even though Yvette was still tense, she found herself relaxing when Briar scooted closer to her, wrapping around Yvette’s midsection and resting her head on Yvette’s chest. Yvette could feel herself blush as Briar did so, her blush only grew darker when she heard Briar let out a content sigh as she snuggled into her chest. For a moment Yvette just laid there, not knowing what exactly to do, though after a while she found one of her hands running through Briar’s hair, a small smile creeping onto her face. This was nice, at least for Yvette it was, even though she had no idea what she was doing she still felt herself smiling idly down at Briar who too had a small smile on her face. 

The two stayed like that for a while, Briar laying on Yvette’s check occasionally humming whenever Yvette ran her finger through certain parts of her hair, Yvette merely smiled down at Briar, never once tearing her gaze from the other woman. It wasn’t until Briar began to stir again did Yvette drawback, still looking down at her as Briar lazily opened her eyes. She smiled lovingly up at Yvette, “Good morning” she said softly before yawning. Briar pushed herself up, stretching. She settled down beside Yvette, laying down on her side which allowed her to freely run her fingers through Yvette’s hair, “You know, I’ve always wanted to do this” 

Yvette cocked a brow, “Do what?” she questioned as she felt Briar move from her hair to her face, stroking Yvette’s cheek with her thumb. 

Briar giggled, “I’ve always wanted to run my hands through your hair, reach up at run my fingers over your freckled cheeks” she leaned in slightly, placing a soft kiss on Yvette’s cheek, “And kiss you everywhere” Yvette couldn’t help but smile as she felt Briar kissed her again, this time on her jaw. She left a trail of feathery kisses from there, stopping at Yvette’s chest, where she placed one final kiss before looking back up at Yvette who smiled down at her. Briar brought herself back up, now placing a kiss on Yvette’s lips. The older woman leaned into the kiss, cupping Briar’s face, whereas Briar’s fingers began to run her fingers through Yvette’s short amber hair. When the two of them pulled apart, they didn’t fully pull away; only now they were just resting their foreheads onto one another’s, both smiling widely. “I love you Yvette” Briar whispered as she lightly kissed Yvette’s nose, “I love you so much” 

Yvette could feel herself blushing again as she ran her fingers through Briar’s long hair, “I love you too” she said softly, kissing Briar again. The kiss was shorter than the last one, only a quick peck before they pulled apart and Briar flopped back down beside Yvette, opening her arms for Yvette, an invitation she gladly took. Yvette let out a small hum as she felt Briar wrap her arms around her, one hand running through her hair. 

They stayed like that, Yvette wrapped around Briar embrace using the other woman’s arm as a pillow whereas Briar looked up at the ceiling, humming a small song. After some time Briar let out a small chuckle, “I never thought you’d be so much of a softy” she said, “I always took you as the type of person who always would never like this type of stuff” Briar gave Yvette a small smirk, “Clearly I was wrong, you’re just that type of person when you’re at work” 

“Is that a bad thing?” Yvette asked, “Would you much rather me be like how I am at work here, because I can if you want me t-”

“No! Yvette, I like you like this, I’m just saying I’m surprised. But it’s a nice surprise, I love this part of you. Mostly because you’re actually quiet when you’re like this so that makes everything hell of a lot easier” Yvette cocked a brow, “I’m kidding, you had your moments when you were quiet at work too, it wasn’t often, but the moments were still there” she pressed a kiss onto Yvette’s forehead, “But that still doesn’t mean I didn’t love you then”

Yvette hummed when Briar kissed her on the forehead again, “When did you know you loved me?”

Briar thought, her brows furrowing as she did so, “That’s hard, I found you attractive the moment we first met, but then any attraction I had for you then disappeared when we started arguing constantly. And then I just say you as a work colleague for the longest time, there was still something there though. Like I still felt something for you, but it wasn’t all that prominent. Then there was the night I almost lost you...at first I thought you were going to be fine, you could handle yourself but I just had a feeling deep down something was going to go wrong. So then I followed you, and thank god I did. When I saw you on the ground, with your wound and that terrified look in your eyes, I just felt like I needed to do something. And then when you ended up fainting I panicked even more and I thought I really did lose you and I was so scared that I didn’t leave your side for the entire night. I didn’t want to have to see you in that type of state again, I didn’t want you to suffer because for some reason I wanted to protect you and keep you safe. I didn’t know why for the longest time, I thought it was just the sort of thing you felt towards a friend, that was until I got home from work the next day and I realized that I loved you” she let out a small chuckle, “I guess me almost losing you, made me realize how much I actually needed you” She looked down at Yvette lovingly, “When did you know you loved me?”

“Last night on my couch, when I was contemplating all the mistakes I’ve made in life,” she said bluntly, “But the feeling was there long before I actually knew what it was. The first time it ever showed up was the day we were driving in the car and I spaced out”

“You were thinking about me when you almost crashed the car?” 

“More Or Less, yes. But I didn’t know why I felt the way I did that day, I just thought your eyes were pretty. But as time passed the feeling started to get stronger and I eventually came to terms with it and then I eventually realized what it was. That wasn’t until yesterday though” 

Briar snickered, “So you came here the moment you realized you loved me?” 

“Oh no, I was planning to come here to just apologize. The love part was something I figured out on the drive here, and I didn’t plan to admit to that but I got so caught up in the moment, and the thought of losing you scared me so much that it just...came out. I guess both of us found out we loved each other when we were both faced the fear of losing one another” 

Briar hummed in agreement, “I guess so” They fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound that could be heard was the muffled New York traffic from outside the window and the occasional hum from one of the women. 

Yvette couldn’t help but smile again, to think that a week ago she didn’t even know she loved Briar, but apparently Briar knew for much longer. She couldn’t imagine having that feeling burning inside of her and not being able to share it with the person she loved. That she just went to work every day and talked with Yvette every day without so much of giving off the slightest hint. It must have been torture. What would have happened if Yvette realized her feelings sooner, would she have saved Briar from keeping all of that hidden inside for as long as she did. If Yvette had just gotten over herself, Briar would have been better off. “I’m sorry,” Yvette said softly, breaking the silence. 

“What for?”

“If I had realized that I loved you sooner, you wouldn’t have had to hide it, and then we could have been doing this so much sooner. You would have been happier earlier, I wouldn’t have said those things yesterday and-”

“Yvette, I’ve always been happy. Being around you made me happy, being able to see you act all tough and intimidating, made me happy. Knowing that you were safe and out of harm's way, made me happy. You always have made me happy, even before I knew you loved me. And you didn’t know you loved me earlier and that’s ok, you realized that at your own time and that’s what made it special. And it’s not as if we don’t have our whole lives ahead of us to do all of this, we’re still young, we have a lot of time left. We can just make up for lost time, so don’t you dare start saying sorry because you did nothing wrong” Briar said sternly, before pressing another kiss onto Yvette’s forehead. Yvette smiled once again, she didn’t deserve Briar, yet for some reason, Briar loved her and Yvette was thankful for that. She was glad that she finally had someone in her life that truly cared about her, someone who made her feel like she mattered. 

“I love you Briar” 

“I love you too Yvette,” Briar said softly, pulling Yvette closer. The two of them stayed like that for a bit, once again silence falling between the two and it wasn't until something jumped on the bed did both women pull apart. Yvette jumped at the sudden movement, quickly turning her head to look down at the foot of the bed, where Briar’s cat had sat. It looked back at the Yvette with its ocean colored eyes, it’s tail flicking back and forth as it watched her. To say the cat had a lot of fur would have been an understatement, the small cat had a long and full coat, so long in fact that part of its fur had started to obscure its eyesight. Most of its fur was a light grey, though it shifted to a pure white at around the neck and then to a light brown around the face. Yvette couldn’t help but grow somewhat uneasy with how long it had been looking at her, it didn’t once break its gaze with her. It wasn't until Briar scoffed and began to push herself up did the cat finally look away. “I don’t even get an hour of peace with you” she grumbled as she stepped out of bed, grabbing her robe from the floor. She lazily put in on and began to make her way towards the cat, scooping it up in her arms. “You can come with us Yvette, I just have to give Pearl some food,” Briar said over her shoulder as she stepped out of the room, leaving Yvette alone. She slowly began to push herself up and out of bed, spending a good few seconds looking for her clothes which were scattered at various places around the room. 

When Yvette was finally dressed, she slowly made her way into the kitchen where Briar was, her feet dragging along the ground as she did so. As she walked through one of the small hallways that led to the main area she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror that hung on the wall. Yvette stopped abruptly in front of it, turning to look at herself, she looked terrible. Her normally perfect hair was disheveled, parts of it sticking up at odd angles whereas others hung loosely. Yvette tried running her hands through her hair to fix it, and the moment her hands finished sweeping through her hair was back into its messy state. She groaned, as she then looked at her neck, which much like the rest of her body was littered with dark bruises that Yvette knew were going to be a pain to hide. How could she even hide these? Sure Yvette owned a few turtle necks that could do the job, but she didn’t own enough that would last her the whole week. She wasn’t about to wear her normal attire though, she couldn’t, not unless she wanted everyone around her to see these marks. Yvette was going to have to make do though, at least for now, she could wear her turtlenecks for as long as she could and hope they’ll fade quickly. “You look fine, Yvette,” Briar said softly as she came into view in the mirror. She came up from behind Yvette, snaking her hands around the other woman’s waist, pressing a kiss onto Yvette’s shoulder, “In fact, you look far better than just fine. You look beautiful, love” 

Yvette frowned at her reflection, “ I really don’t” she tried to flatten her hair once again, only for it to go back to the way it was. She groaned as she tried again, and then again, but before she could try a third time Briar took hold of her wrist pulling it back down. 

“Your hair looks fine,” she said as she took hold of Yvette’s hand, entwining their fingers. “It’s not as if anyone else is here to see you” Briar kissed the back of Yvette’s hand, “We don’t even have to go to work today if you don’t want to. We could work from here, I have everything from the case in my office” 

“I will have to go home at some point though, I can’t stay in these clothes all day and I don’t think your clothes will fit me” Yvette turned her head to look down at Briar, “But I do suppose I could spend a few hours here” 

“It’s better than nothing” Briar softly said as she stood up on the balls of her feet, planting a kiss of Yvette’s lips. With their fingers still entwined Yvette kissed Briar back, her other hand cupping Briar’s cheek. As they pulled apart, Yvette took the time to place a kiss onto Briar’s forehead. “I love you, Yvette”

“I love you too Briar”


	13. Gluttony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wealthy business man's body is found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I'm still alive. I'm really, really sorry for such a late posting but I had a lot of stuff on my plate but I'm back and hopefully, I'll be back to my normal posting schedule.

The smell that admitted from the penthouse took both women by surprise, Briar was quick to cover her mouth with her hand, pinching her nose between her thumb and pointer finger as she inhaled the putrid smell. Whereas Yvette was quick to step back, her hand going to cover her face in hopes of blocking out the smell. Despite their efforts, the overwhelming stench of vomit and rotten flesh still managed to waft into their noses, causing both of them to scrunch their noses up in disgust. Briar tried her hardest not to vomit as she began to make her way into the room, Yvette not far behind who had long since pulled up the neck of her turtleneck over her nose, holding it up with a tight grip. 

They weren’t the only ones who seemed to be affected by the smell, the police and forensic around them also seemed to be taken aback by the stench. Most of them covering their noses as they looked around the room, and the smell only worsened as the two detectives got closer to the body. Briar looked around her, taking in the brightly lit penthouse. It was littered with extravagant furniture, most of which was a milky white, along with various art pieces that hung on the walls. At first glance, nothing seemed to be out of place, however that quickly changed when they reached the main living area which was in complete disarray. The glass coffee table that was in the center of the room was broken, a bit of blood coded some of the shards of glass. Not only that but the leather couch that sat behind the coffee table had been cut down the middle, and the large flat-screen TV that was hung on the wall had been shattered. To say there was a struggle would have been an understatement. 

Briar couldn’t help but allow herself to look at the walls, taking in the different pictures and art that were on the wall, most of which were broken. However, she couldn’t help but do a double-take as she looked at one of the photos that hung just outside the main area, and closer to the kitchen, it appeared to be the only picture that hadn’t been damaged. She paused for a moment, stopping to give herself a chance to get a better look at the photo. Briar craned her neck to look up at it, there were three girls in the pictures, they looked no more than fifteen, sixteen at best. They were all wearing dresses, though the one that stood out the most to Briar was the girl in the center who wore a bright red dress. Her dirty blonde hair was styled up, only two free strands hung loosely on either end of her pale face. Her skin appeared to be flawless in the picture, in fact, everything about her appeared to be flawless, from her bright blue eyes which practically glowed in the photo. To her perfect white teeth which were highlighted by the bright red lipstick she wore. Briar couldn’t help but cock a brow as she looked at the girl, this couldn’t be Paula Brown, could it? Of course, she’d learned quite quickly from Yvette that the crime scene was where Thomas Brown lived, Paula’s father. But when Briar had imagined what Paula looked like, she didn’t imagine this. She looked at the girl to the left of Paula, who Briar was quick to recognize. It was Cassy Smith, a much younger version of her but still her nonetheless. Which meant that the other girl, to the right of Paula, was Samatha. She shifted her gaze to look at the young teen, who seemed to be looking at something outside of view. Samatha looked so happy in the photo, her hand slightly outstretched to wrap her arm around Paula’s, her eyes full of joy as she gripped tightly onto her lavender-colored dress. Briar couldn’t see someone like that doing all of this, but then again, this was a photo that was at least five years old. A lot can change in that time. 

She was quickly thrown out her thoughts when she felt Yvette tap lightly on her shoulder, turning harshly on her heels to face her girlfriend. “Find something interesting?” Yvette asked, looking up at the photo. Briar could practically see the gears turning inside her partner’s head as she took in what was in front of her. 

“Is that-” Briar began pointing at the girl in the middle but was quickly cut off by Yvette nodding her head, tearing her gaze away from the picture. 

“Yeah, that’s Paula Brown. And that’s Cassy Smith” she pointed to the girl to the left of Paula, “And that’s…” the words that were about to come out of Yvette’s mouth quickly died in her throat as she looked up at Samantha. Yvette let out a long sigh, “I really hope you're wrong about her” Yvette said softly. 

Briar nodded, “I hope so too, but it’s not as if she’s making herself look very innocent. She wasn’t at her apartment, still, no one has heard from her and these murders are still happening. So if it isn’t her, who else could it possibly be?”

“I don’t know” she paused, looking back up at the picture, “I just feel like I’m to blame for this in some way” 

“Why would you possibly say that? You didn’t know this would have happened” Briar said, quickly whipping her head to look at Yvette whose eyes were still glued to the photo. 

“Because if I had just taken responsibility for my mistakes, James wouldn’t have fallen behind on his part of the case. We would have more evidence, and we would have been able to have a higher chance at putting Samantha’s dad away and Cheryl wouldn’t have been able to let him go. Allowing him to just walk the streets, and Paula's murderer would have actually been brought to justice and Samantha wouldn’t have had a need to start all of this in the first place. And-” Yvette tensed up and she felt Briar take hold of her hand, entwining their fingers together, she shifted her gaze down to look down at Briar. 

Briar looked up at Yvette with a small smile in her face, it was comforting, “You couldn’t have known this would have been the outcome of one mistake you’d made years ago. You didn’t know that all of this could have happened, and we don’t even know why Samatha is doing this in the first place, let alone if you have some reason to be blamed for this. We don’t even know this is Samatha’s doing anyways, for all we know it could be someone else, someone who was also involved with the Paula Brown case. So please, don’t be so harsh on yourself” she spoke softly as she pressed a small kiss onto Yvette's cheek, “Now, I’m going to take a look around and see if I find anything else that could be important. Why don’t you go check out the body and tell me what you find ok?” 

Yvette couldn’t help but smile, “So you’re leaving me to go to the body, the center of this horrible smell” Briar nodded her head in response, which made Yvette chuckle, “Alright, you go look around. You know where to find me if you need anything” she pressed a quick kiss on Briar's lips before making her way to the kitchen, where the smell only worsened. 

She gagged as the smell shifted from being somewhat unpleasant to completely overwhelming, taking Yvette by surprise. She lifted her shirt up again to cover her nose as she made her way towards the body, which much to her surprise didn’t seem all that mutilated and damaged. That wasn’t to say the body was in prime condition, from just the entrance of the room, Yvette could smell the vomit and feces that was being admitted by the body. Yvette couldn’t help but feel somewhat uneasy as she looked at the kitchen, to think that five years ago, she would have been standing in this very kitchen speaking to Mr. Brown about his daughter's murder. Now here she was, in that very kitchen, for his murder. 

Thomas Brown’s body was tied to one of the chairs that were at the kitchen table, his face resting in what Yvette assumed to be his own vomit. He was still wearing his work clothes, a well kept black and white business suit, it appeared however that the tie from his suit was what was used to tie him up. Yvette cautiously made her way to the body, getting a better look at the state he was in, his face was unusually pale, his eyes bloodshot and glassed over. As she got closer she started to get a better look at the setup, the table had food on it, or at least what was left of the food. Flies and other pests covered the food, buzzing one, and off it, the very sight them made Yvette shiver in disgust. Now that she was practically standing next to the body she was able to see that Thomas was face first in not only his own vomit but also some of the food, a dish of whatever meat that was placed in front of the man had been covered in his vomit. Yvette crouched down, using one of her gloved hands to pull Thomas’ face up from its place on the table. His mouth was still wide open, chunks of food and vomit still clung to the side of his face, causing Yvette to force back the urge to vomit. She slowly put his head back down, it made a slight squishing sound as it settled back down in the rotten, bile covered food. 

Yvette stuck couldn’t help but scrunch her nose up in disgust and she shifted her attention to the untouched plate of food, she picked up a piece of meat, it had a beef-like appearance but the longer she looked at it something seemed off. It could have been the fact that it had long since started rotting, or it could be the fact that perhaps this wasn’t actually beef. She placed the meat back down into the plate of food, allowing it to be covered by flies once again, Yvette was going to have to take a long shower once she got home to rid herself of the unclean feeling that had begun to settle upon her. 

Yvette was about to get back up when she caught sight of something glistening slightly inside the plate where Thomas' head was laying. How did she not realize that when she lifted his head up? Even though Yvette didn’t want to, she lifted the head up once again, and with her free hand reached into the disgusting mixture. Yvette gagged once again as she felt her hand settle into the still slightly warm vomit, and bits of food that were still on the plate made the detective want to rip her hand out. But she needed to know what else was in there when she finally felt something solid, she quickly took hold of it and pulled it out. Yvette looked down at her hand, being face to face with a golden track medal. She tried her best to rub away any of the excess vomit, Yvette tightened her grip on it as she took hold of the fabric necklet, allowing the medal to dangle freely. People running down a track were engraved on the medal, along with the type of race, 1500m. This couldn’t have been Samatha’s could it, Yvette knew she’d done track, but this couldn’t be her medal could it? There could have been other persons, who were linked to the Paula Brown case who did track right? 

She quickly shook her head, they didn’t know for sure whether or not this was Samatha’s doing. Yvette let out a small sigh, a feeling of guilt beginning to wash over her, it was becoming all too familiar to her at this point. She couldn’t help it though, this is all her fault if she hadn’t been so careless. If she hadn’t been so naive into thinking that she could get away with lying for so long without it coming back to haunt her. Yvette deserves to suffer, not these people, these people shouldn’t have to die for an error she’d made. But then again, everyone who’s being killed, each has done something wrong in their lives. They’re all deserving of these deaths in the eyes of the killer. 

“What’d you find?” asked a voice from beside Yvette, causing her to quickly jerk back nearly dropping the medal. Yvette was quick to turn around to look at Penelope, who looked back at her with a smug look on her face, “Sorry, I didn’t expect you to be so deep in thought” she smirked at Yvette, “Were you thinking about your girlfriend?” 

“What?” Yvette found herself at a loss of words, her face starting to heat up, she must have been blushing for sure. 

The smirk on Penelope’s face only grew and she nudged Yvette playfully, “Don’t play dumb with me, you know who I’m talking about” Yvette still didn’t say anything, “Briar! Briar Woods, the woman you were just smooching out in the main area before you came in here. When were you gonna tell me? How long have you two been a thing? Does anyone else know? Does Willa know? Have you two-” Yvette was quick to cut Penelope off, know very well where her questions were starting to go. 

“We haven’t been together for all that long so you can relax, and no, my mother doesn’t know...wait, since when did she let you call her by her first name?” Yvette questioned. 

Penelope giggled, “She hasn’t, I just find it easier than saying ‘Commissioner Diamond’. But stop changing the subject, tell me about Briar and you! I want to know everything” she smiled widely at Yvette, as she tightened her grip on her camera. 

Yvette scoffed as she looked down at Penelope, “Fine, but you don’t repeat any of this to anyone. Understood?” Penelope nodded her head, “Yes Briar and I are...dating and it’s quite nice I must admit. She’s very affectionate when it comes down to it, and she likes touching my hair, a lot” she could hear Penelope snicker from beside her, “And she likes to be close, I rarely have time by myself when I’m with her because she’s always by my side. Not that I’m complaining, I enjoy having her around” 

“That’s it?” Penelope asked, “Really Yvette, I don’t believe that that’s all your relationship is. Have you two-”

“I’m not going to be talking about my sex life with you Penelope, especially not at work,” Yvette said sternly, glaring at the other woman. 

“Come on, please?”

“No! That’s private information, I don’t go asking you about your sex life now do I?”

“Com-”

“No, Penelope. This conversation is done” she sucked in a sharp breath, “But please, if you do speak to my mother. Don’t tell her about my relationship with Briar?” 

Penelope furrowed her brows as she gave Yvette a confused look, “I won’t, but you are planning on telling Willa right?” Yvette shook her head, “What, why? She’s your mom Yvette, she deserves to know these types of things. And frankly, I’m pretty sure she’ll be happy to know that you finally found someone. I know I am. But still, you can’t just keep it from her. You’ll need to tell her at some point because sooner or later she’s going to find out and then that’s just going to make matters worse. I know you aren’t on the best of terms with her, but still even just mentioning it to her is better than keeping a secret. But that’s only a suggestion, you don’t have to listen to me if you don’t want to” Penelope said kindly, “Anyways, what’s that you got there” she gestured at the medal that was still tightly gripped in Yvette’s hand, taking the time to snap a picture of it before bringing her camera back down. “Is that the killer’s?” 

Yvette shrugged, “I don’t know, maybe? It was in the victim's vomit. Were you able to figure out what had even happened here?” 

“Oh yeah! Well the victim, Thomas Brown, died as a result of his stomach rupturing. He’s been dead for at least a day, maybe two, it’s hard to tell at the moment. But the killer had broken through the front door, there was a struggle in the main area and the killer managed to get him knocked out. From there, they dragged him into the kitchen and tied him up. Then they cooked him food? I mean I don’t know if you’d consider human flesh food but yeah, they cooked that, and-” 

“That’s human meat?” Yvette asked, cutting Penelope off. Yvette felt a wave of disgust wash over her, she’d touched it, sure she was wearing gloves but she’d still touched cooked human flesh. At least that would explain why it looked a bit off. 

Penelope nodded, “We don’t know for sure, but we found plastic bags full of the rest of the meat that wasn’t cooked. Plus they were labeled...whoever is doing this is just disgusting. I mean, why would they feel the need to cook parts of a person and then force another human into eating that. And enough to kill them too, like they wouldn’t give up, they planned to make this man eat to death” she scrunched her nose up in disgust, “Plus they cut of his...genitals” Penelope gestured at the man’s lower half, where there was bloodstain that had began to form on the blackwork pants Thomas was wearing. “But I don’t think that was till after, because if they did it before, he would have died from blood loss long before his stomach ruptured. Still, it’s disgusting and inhuman. Then again, the person who’s doing this, I doubt feels any sort of remorse for any of these. Which scares me, we have two murders left before they leave. We’re running out of time to catch them” 

Yvette stiffly nodded, “Your right about that, Anger and Pride, though that’s assuming that this one is Gluttony”

“This is definitely Gluttony, I mean this entire murder was based around food, so I think it’s safe to assume that your right. Anger and Pride are the last to sins left, I feel bad for whoever those are. You're supposed to be dismembered for Anger and Pride you're meant to be broken on a wheel or something. Who knows how the killer will interpret that, but I still have a feeling that Pride will be the most...gruesome out of all the others. Just cause, it’s the worst sin out of all of them. The root of all evil. I wish luck to whoever the killer has given that sin too” 

Yvette chuckled, “I’m sure whoever they are, already knows who they are. These murders have been all over the news so I’m sure people have started to catch on to who’s going to be the next to be killed” 

“Yeah, but still, even if they know who they are. They won’t be able to avoid fate until we catch this person, which is why I must ask. Do you and Briar even have any leads? I mean with all these clues the killer has been leaving I’m sure you guys have to have some sort of lead” 

“Samatha Wilson, Briar thinks she’s doing all of this. But I still have my doubts” 

“Isn’t that the girl from the Paula Brown case from all those years ago?” Yvette nodded, “Damn, I remember hearing about that case, it was brutal. Poor Samatha saw everything, I couldn’t imagine witnessing my own friend get beat to death. And the other, unpleasant things they’d done to her. But why does Briar think it’s her though?” 

“Because she’s the only person who was in the center of the case, who isn’t dead. Plus no one has heard nor seen her in almost a month so Briar believes that it's too much of a coincidence. But I still think it could be someone else, I just couldn’t see her doing something like that” 

Penelope nodded, “I get what you're saying, but still. You guys should try looking for her, because if Briar’s right, your time to catch her is limiting. And I somehow have a feeling you don’t want this killer to go free” 

“Yeah, I don’t” Yvette sighed out, “I really don’t”


	14. Late Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvette and Briar stay up working on the case

The pitter-patter of rain echoed quietly through Yvette’s apartment, both her and Briar sat hunched over the kitchen table as they went through the files from the case. A total of five stacks sat on the table, one for each murder. Each file had the victim's information, their date of birth, relatives, cause of death, the list goes on. Some of the contents in the files had long since spilled out on the table as a result of the two detectives continually going through them. Some remained untouched though, those were the ones that were still linked to the case but didn’t play a direct role in the so-called ‘story’ the murders were entwined with. There were three so far that had been looked at, Cassy Smith, James Davis, and Thomas Brown. Envy, Sloth, and Gluttony. 

On the floor, however, sat a box full of reports and files from the Paula Brown case, something neither of them had so much as touched in the three hours they had been sitting there. That’s not to say they weren’t planning on, if that was the case Yvette wouldn’t have wasted her time digging through her closest looking for the files. Instead, the reason the files still remained untouched was that the two just didn’t have the chance to look at them. “I still don’t get it” Briar grumbled, her voice cutting through the silence. Yvette averted her gaze away from the papers she was looking at, peering up at Briar through the top of her reading glasses. “Out of all these murders, Thomas Brown’s murder makes no sense. Why was he killed, he was Paula’s father, what negative role would he have played in her case? And the same goes for Josh Jackson” she gestured to the untouched file to her right, “From what I’ve read, he didn’t even know Paula, in fact, he didn’t even know any of the victims” 

Yvette looked down at the box, “Actually…” her voice trailed off as she leaned down, digging through the box until she found what she was looking for. She dropped another file down onto the table, “You're right on the fact that he doesn’t know any of the victims, but he does know someone else who was involved with the case” she slid the file over the Briar who quickly picked it up, already flipping through it. 

“Oh,” she breathed, “He knew Tyler Wilson? As in Paula’s murderer...well that makes sense of how he’s connected to the case but that still doesn’t explain why he was given Lust. I mean he did terrible things to other women but never once was it mentioned that he did something like that to Paula” Briar paused, “You don’t that he…” Briar looked down at the case file once again before darting her eyes look at Josh’s file, “Yvette, how many people were involved in Paula’s murder?” 

“We never were able to fully determine that, we knew from the start that Tyler Wilson was the actual murderer because his DNA was found at the crime scene. And when we had question Samatha she had confirmed that he was there during the murder. Why? You think more than one person was involved?” 

Briar nodded, “Yeah, I do. When Samatha was questioned, did she mention anyone else being there?” 

Yvette shook her head, “As far as I can remember no, though I haven’t looked at the transcript in a while so I don’t know for sure” 

“Would it be in that box? The transcript I mean” Briar asked, pointing to the large box. Yvette didn’t say anything and instead went back to digging through the box, her glasses threatening to fall off as she did so. Briar peered over the side of the table, watching as Yvette pulled out another stack of papers that were neatly stabled together. She passed it to Briar, “Thanks” Briar was quick to start flipping through the transcript, her eyes scanning over the rows of words that came together to form Samantha's questioning. She could see in the corner of her eye, Yvette standing up and making her way to make herself another cup of coffee. Briar could feel her stomach turn as she read through the dialogue, even though she couldn’t see the look on Samantha's face, the words, and descriptions of what was happening in the room was enough for her to come to the conclusion that the young teen was scared. From the constant stuttering and the breaks in dialogue, Briar couldn’t help but feel bad for her. She turned the page, finally finding what she was looking for, “Yvette, love come here for a moment. I found something” 

There was shuffling from behind her for a moment before Yvette came into Briar’s view once again, leaning on the back of the chair Yvette peered over Briar’s shoulder. A cup of coffee in one hand and the other holding herself up against the chair, “What is it?” 

“Listen to this, _‘So, Samatha. From what you were able to see, was there anyone else in the room with your father during the time of Paula’s murder?’ ‘Yeah, yeah I think...no, I don’t know. I think? I just, it was dark and I couldn’t really make out anyone else's voice, because of the music. But my dad was talking to someone else, I don’t know though, maybe he was just talking to himself? ‘When you were seen by your father, was there anyone else there with him?’ ‘Yeah, then there was someone. Mr.Brown was with him, they were both shouting...they were loud’_ Yvette I think Tyler Wilson wasn’t alone during the murder, as in I don’t think he acted alone” 

Yvette let out a hum in response, “What, you think that he’d dragged Josh into all of it. There wasn’t any trace of his DNA anywhere at the crime scene. Otherwise, he would have been a prime suspect... So how could he have possibly been involved” 

“I don’t know, I just don’t think that the killer would just kill an innocent person unless they had something to do with the case. Not to mention, Samatha also said that her father was arguing with Thomas Brown after Paula’s murder, where did Thomas Brown claim to be during the time of the murder?” 

“He said he was out and came back to his daughter dead” 

“But, how did Tyler even get in the apartment in the first place? I mean, was he given a key or did Samatha let him in because from what I’ve read from her transcript. She was with Paula the whole time up to the murder, so when would she have had time to open the door?” 

“He could have broken in” 

“And how could he have done that without Paula and Samatha hearing him? The only entrance to the apartment was through the front door and surely he didn’t scale thirty floors off the ground. So the only likely option is that he was let in. And the only person who could have done that would have been Thomas, meaning that he lied about where he was, which is why I think him along with Josh Jackson was involved in the murder. Perhaps neither of them actually played an active role in killing Paula, but that’s not to say they didn’t have their way with her beforehand” Briar concluded, she turned her head to look at Yvette who still looked like she was in the mists of processing everything she’d just been told. 

“So you're saying, that Thomas Brown, Josh Jackson, and Tyler Wilson all had a role in Paula’s murder” Briar nodded, “But why would Thomas play an achieve role in his own daughters death, why would he do those things to her. She was his own child!” Yvette bellowed out, “Not only that but to lie about it for five years” 

“What exactly did happen to Paula? What happened before she was murdered?” Briar asked as she placed the transcript down, turning herself slighting in her chair so she could get a better look at Yvette. 

She watched as her girlfriend placed her mug down, letting out a long and heavy sigh, “Well, the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the frontal lobe. But from the evidence that was collected from the body showed that were signs of sexual assault, she also ligatures wounds around her wrists and ankles which signified that she was tied down during the whole ordeal. We assumed that the motive was purely sexual considering everything that had happened and that things had just gotten out of hand when the victim wouldn’t comply” Briar stiffly nodded in response, “But still, there was no evidence that Thomas Brown nor Josh Jackosn were involved, there was barely enough evidence to tie Tyler Wilson to the case! So how could those two possibly have been involved and no traces of them being found” 

Briar shrugged, “Maybe there were” 

“What?” Yvette breathed out as she furrowed her brows. 

“I mean, what if there was evidence and it was maybe, paid to be disposed of? I mean, Thomas Brown had a bunch of money and then some to spare. What’s to say, he didn’t pay someone in the NYPD to get rid of any evidence that would have linked him, Josh Jackson and Tyler Wilson to the case. And the only reason evidence for Tyler Wilson was brought into the light was because something either fell through or because they had no choice since Samatha clearly placed him at the crime scene. What’s also not to say that Thomas Brown wasn’t the one who bribed Cheryl Anderson in order to get her to let Tyler go free” 

Yvette was silent for a moment, as she slowly began to take in what Briar had just said. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, all the things that Briar was saying made sense to a certain degree. Tyler Wilson had no way of getting into the apartment unless he was let in and neither Samatha nor Paula let him in so that only left Thomas as someone who could do that. Not only that, if Thomas and Josh were somehow involved, Thomas could easily pay someone off to dispose of the evidence. But who would do something like that? Who would take the money and get rid of the only evidence linking two other men to the rape and murder of an innocent young teen? The very thought alone made Yvette sick. “Yvette?” Briar’s soft voice quickly threw Yvette out of her thoughts, the older detective shifted her gaze away from the floor in which she’d been staring at so that she was now looking at Briar. She had a worried look on her face as she looked up at Yvette, “Are you alright?” 

Yvette nodded, “Yeah, I’m alright. Just surprised is all, your right though, about Thomas. It makes too much sense for him to be involved in all of this and to just pay for things to just go away and get better. So that he doesn’t have to get his reputation ruined and he doesn’t have to spend a single second in prison. It’s sick, but it might be true….But to do that to your own child. I mean he not only let those things happen to her, but he played a role too, he contributed to those awful acts. How could he not care about how much pain he was causing and to lie about it? To pretend like he had nothing to do with it and act like he was hurt by his daughter's death when he could have so easily prevented it. Dare I say out of all these murders he deserved what happened to him! Him and Josh Jackson, those two deserved to be killed, to suffer just like they made Paula. Hell, I think they deserve worse!” shouted Yvette as she slammed her hands down harshly onto the table. “Samatha has every right to have made these men suffer because they do! They deserve to suffer and rot away in whatever place they’re going. And to the fact that I never saw this sooner, if I had just paid attention and looked at the fine details, these men, these sick men wouldn’t have been able to walk away unscathed. This is why these murders are even happening in the first place because I couldn’t do my job correctly and I let these men go free. I’m to blame for all of this, if I hadn’t have been so stupid so careless, so-” Yvette was so caught up in her own anger that she didn’t even notice the broken mug on the floor. Not until she felt the warm coffee begin to seep into her socks, “Fuck…” she whispered as she looked down at the floor. Bits of broken ceramic littered the floor along with the black coffee that stood out on the white tile flooring. Yvette pulled off her wet sock before tossing it away lazily, still balancing on one foot she looked up at Briar. A concerned look was on her girlfriend’s face, “Don’t look at me like that” Yvette scoffed as she began to stomp off to retrieve the broom and dustpan. 

“It isn’t your fault though Yvette” Briar called, she cautiously stood up from her seat being careful not to step on any of the broken shards. “You couldn’t have known that this was all happening in the background, you were still new to your job. You shouldn’t be so harsh on yourself” she said softly, watched as Yvette stormed past her, broom in hand. “Do you want any help?” 

“No, Briar, I don’t need any help. I made this mess, I can clean it up myself” Yvette hissed, crouching down and sweeping up the mug. “And it is my fault, all of it is, I was the one who was being careless since the beginning of that case. I thought that I could be like that because I believed couldn't do anything wrong. Well clearly I was wrong, I can do wrong, I did a lot of things wrong! And because of my mistakes, someone I was friends with got murdered and three guilty men have been able to roam the streets for five fucking years. And it takes more people dying for me to have been able to see that. I took you for me to realize that! I shouldn’t have needed those things, I should have been able to figure things out for myself. And you can’t say that I was new to my job and that’s my excuse because this is your first case, Briar! You're new to this yet you were able to figure all this out, but somehow I couldn’t because of my damn pride!” she snapped, her grip tightening on the broom. After a moment of silence Yvette let out a sigh, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be shouting at you. You did nothing wrong” she said softly as she stood back up, her head hanging in defeat. 

Briar smiled as she came up from behind Yvette, wrapping her arms around her waist, pressing a kiss on Yvette’s cheek. “It’s alright, but I mean what I said, you shouldn’t blame yourself for something you didn’t know was happening. Sure, you may have been a bit careless before but you’ve realized where you’ve gone wrong and you’re learning from your mistakes. And whether or not this is my first case, I won’t have been able to accomplish half the things I’ve done in this case if it weren't for you. You’ve helped me so much, you’ve played just as much of a role in this case as I have” she rested her head on Yvette's shoulder, “So please, don’t blame yourself, love” 

Yvette chuckled at the nickname, “I don’t deserve you” Yvette whispered, “You’re too nice, and you’re far too good for me” 

“Nonsense,” Briar said softly, “It’s you who I don’t deserve, you’re so strong and intimidating” she purred as her hands began to wander fuller down, “And you’re ever so smart and beautiful” Briar could feel Yvette starting to lean back onto her as her fingers began to trace the waistband of Yvette's PJ pants as her other hand lightly touched around Yvette’s abdomen. “You’re so lovely Yvette, I really do hope you know that. And I am ever so lucky to have someone as wonderful and brave and bold as you in my life. I love you very much, Yvette” 

Yvette hummed in response, “I love you too Briar, but I should really clean this up” she said shakily as she leaned into Briar’s touch. Yvette knew what Briar was doing, and as much as she was keen to play along she felt somewhat hesitant deep down. She didn’t know why but she just felt unsure. 

“You can spare a few minutes” Briar as her hand slowly began to slip in Yvette’s pants, the older detective could feel herself stiffen up. But she was quick to relax and she felt heat starting to grow in between her legs, but then without warning, Briar pulled her hand back out, “Let’s continue this in your room, shall we?” she said as she took hold of Yvette’s free hand. Briar slowly began to pull her in the direction she wanted Yvette to go, and with a small smirk on her face, she watched as Yvette quickly let go of the broom. Following behind Briar, after all, who was she to deny something like that?


	15. Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yvette and Briar have dinner with Willa and things go south very quickly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this was a chapter I've been wanting to write for a while now so here it is! This will count as next week's chapter, so I probably won't be updating till the following. But still, I hope you guys enjoy, only 4 more chapters left!

The relationship between Yvette and her mother was rocky at best, the two of them never quite got along but they still manage to live with each other peacefully for years. Even though Yvette didn’t particularly like her mother at times, Willa was still her mother and her boss and Yvette knew she couldn’t change that. What she could change however was how people saw her mother, Yvette in all of her thirty-two years of living, Yvette had never had a relationship with anyone else besides Briar. So when Briar had brought up the idea of having a family dinner, it was perfectly reasonable for Yvette to dislike the idea. After all, Briar had only seen Willa as her boss, and Yvette wasn’t entirely fond of that change. It was hard enough for her to keep Willa from finding out about Briar and her, and with Briar constantly asking to meet Willa, she wasn’t making things anymore easier for Yvette. 

Yvette was glad to have Briar in her life, but she wasn’t so glad with Briar meeting her mother. Briar has only met the work version of her mother, the serious and professional version of her mother and Yvette didn’t entirely feel comfortable will Briar meeting the other side of Willa. The sarcastic, nosey, and at times obnoxious version of her mother.

Not only that but Yvette didn’t tell Willa exactly who she was dating, not that she was given the chance to. The moment she’d called her mother to ask about the dinner Willa was so caught up in the fact that her daughter finally was dating someone. That she didn’t give Yvette the chance to say who she was and that they were even a she in the first place. So Yvette knew that Willa would be caught off guard by not only the fact that her daughter was dating another woman but also that that woman was a fellow coworker. A coworker that two months ago, Yvette couldn’t even stand to be around. 

Briar wasn’t exactly in the know either, Yvette assumed that she knew that Willa was her mother, with the two sharing the same last name and everything. But apparently, Yvette was quick to realize on the car ride that wasn’t the case and that Briar had no idea who Yvette’s mother actually was. Not that Yvette had decided to tell her, no instead she had merely tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she thought about how horribly this night was going to unfold. 

Now was the moment where everything went wrong and Yvette took a moment to mentally prepare herself before knocking on the door of Willa’s penthouse. Even though her mother’s salary wasn’t amazing, she still managed to afford such a lavish place to live, something Yvette still didn’t fully understand to this day. Willa’s finances were the last thing on Yvette’s mind though, right now she still stood there procrastinating knocking on the door because she knew the moment she knocked on that door her evening was going to go from bad to worse very quickly. Not only that, but Yvette didn’t know how Briar was going to react to the whole situation of dating her bosses’ daughter. That should be the least of Yvette’s worries, she should be more concerned with what Willa's going to think about her dating a coworker. She would no doubt say it was unprofessional, something Yvette herself said months ago but also Willa would no doubt find small details about Briar that she didn't particularly enjoy and use those as excuses as to why she wasn't good enough for Yvette. “Yvette are you alright?” Briar asked, placing a reassuring hand on Yvette’s shoulder, “You don’t need to be so worried, it’s just a dinner” Just a dinner was an understatement, what this is is a nightmare. A nightmare that Yvette very much wanted to wake up from, she knew this day was going to come at some point but she didn’t think it would come so soon. She hadn’t prepared herself enough, she hadn’t prepared Briar or Willa enough for this dinner. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Yvette grumbled out as she shifted her attention away from the door and to Briar, “We can just leave, we really don’t have to do this. I can just say you got sick or something, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to” she stammered out, she knew Briar wanted to do this, all of this was her idea. But Briar didn’t know what she was getting herself into, Yvette did, which is why she so desperately wanted Briar to agree to leave. So the two of them can go back to one of their apartments and spend the night together, just them, no Willa to cause problems. 

Briar giggled, “Of course I want to do this. We’ve been dating for a month. I think it’s time I met your mom don’t you think?” It was the response Yvette didn’t want to hear but she expected it nonetheless. 

“Yeah but Briar you have to understand that my mother can be a bit...much. And I don’t want her to say something that might offend you in any way because she doesn’t have much of a filter. She just says likes as she likes, whether or not you like it and I don’t want that to be the main impression that you get from my family. I also just think, that maybe we should wait a bit longer, so I can give her the proper heads up about yo-”

“You didn’t tell you about me?” Briar was quick to interject, a bit of hurt hidden between her words, “Yvette I thought you said you talked to her” she hissed. 

“I did! I mean I tried, she didn’t give me the chance to say anything other than the fact that I was dating someone. I tried to get my word in, but my mother isn’t the type of person to listen, she just goes on about stuff and she doesn’t let other people talk” Yvette shot back, trying her best to defend herself. 

Briar took in a sharp breath, “It’s fine, it’ll just be a nice surprise for her then won’t it?” she let out a small chuckle, before knocking on the door. Yvette tensed up, there was no turning back now. She could see a formal smile starting to spread across Briar’s face and Yvette tried her hardest to mirror it though it wavered the longer it took her mother to answer the door. Yvette clenched and unclenched her fists, listening carefully to the shuffling on the other side of the door. She could hear the door unlock and then slowly open, and Yvette, through the corner of her eye could see Briar’s smile quickly fall as her mother came fully into view. 

Yvette shouldn’t have been surprised that her mother would be wearing something overly fancy, even though Yvette told her to just dress casually. Who was Willa to actually listen to her daughter for once? Willa was wearing a pure white dress that hugged her figure, ending right above her ankles. She wore black heels which added an unnecessary amount of height to her, she was already tall as is but now she was practically towering over the other women. Her long white hair hung loosely over her shoulders but was purposely styled so that not a signal strand fell into her face, which just allowed Yvette to get a better look at the confused look on her mother’s face and her eyes darted between her and Briar. Her lips, which were covered with black lipstick, were still molded into a smile but Yvette could see that her mother was struggling not to scowl as she looked at Briar. 

Still smiling, Yvette dared to look at Briar, whose smile had long since fallen from her face. Now replaced with a shocked and nervous expression as she looked at Willa, no doubt sensing the shift in mood. An uncomfortable silence had now settled amount the three women and Yvette desperately fought back the urge to turn around and leave, taking Briar with her. But instead, Yvette swallowed her fear and spoke up, “Hi mom” she choked out, “It’s nice to see you, this is Briar. My...my girlfriend” she gestured to Briar.

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you Ms.Diamond” Briar hesitantly said, extending her free hand for Willa to shake. Yvette harshly bit down on the inside of her cheek, watching as her mother slowly shook Briar’s hand, the forced smile still on her face. 

“The pleasure is all mine Briar, it’s so nice to finally meet you” there was silence for a moment before Willa spoke again, “Please do come in,” she said, stepping out of the doorway, ushering the two of them inside. Briar was the first to step in, Yvette following close behind. Yvette could practically see the gears turning inside of Briar’s mind as she took in everything around her and honestly Yvette didn’t blame her. Willa’s penthouse was massive, and most of the things inside it were either black or white. Even the art and picture frames were those shades, and only the pictures held any sort of color. As they stepped into the living area, the once nervous feeling that had settled within Yvette had only gotten worse as she laid eyes upon some of the pictures that hung on the wall. Most of which were pictures of her. Much to her relief, Briar seemed to be too caught up in her own thoughts to actually notice them. 

That didn’t mean Yvette relaxed, no, this was only the beginning and Yvette knew that the worse has yet to come. “Your apartment is quite lovely,” Briar said softly, “Your dress is pretty too, I feel somewhat underdressed with what I’ve worn” She wasn’t underdressed, it was just Willa was overdressed. Briar was wearing a flowing blue dress that hugged her body nicely, highlighting her curves. It was a shorter dress, unlike Willa's dress, Briar’s ended at her knees. It puffed out slightly at the bottom, similar to the end of her sleeves which had small tufts of fabric at the end of them. Though Yvette had to admit the off the shoulder dress was a bit low cut, ending right above her cleavage. Not that Yvette cared, she thought Briar looked beautiful in the dress, her mother’s on the other hand, that was a different story. 

“Nonsense, you’re dressed perfectly Briar,” Willa said over her shoulder, “If anything the only person who’s underdressed is Yvette” Yvette fought back the urge to say something, but instead she just stayed silent. It wasn’t as if she had any fancy attire, her whole closet was full of either suit or casual clothing. So Yvette wore a black suit, because to her she thought that would be enough but according to her mother, it wasn’t. Briar let out a nervous chuckle as she gave Yvette a side glance. She outstretched her hand slightly for Yvette to take, but Yvette was quick to shake her head watching as Briar drew away. As the three of them entered the dining room, Yvette once again found back the urge to speak up. She really shouldn’t have been surprised at this point that Willa would have gone over the top, but the amount of food that was on the table was way too much for just three people. But like always, Yvette wasn’t going to say anything, so instead, she just made her way to the table, being sure to pull a seat for Briar before taking a seat herself. Willa sat across from the two detectives, a small smile still on her face as she watched Briar place the container of food she brought beside her. Briar, even though she told her not to, she still went ahead and baked Macaroons.

“I see that you renovated,” Yvette said, trying her hardest to shift the conversation to a topic her mother would enjoy. One that could easily distract her and cause her to go on a long tangent that neither Yvette nor Briar really wanted to hear, but frankly it was better than anything else Willa would talk about. Willa perked up at the comment, and Yvette took in a long breath as she prepared herself for everything that was going to unfold that evening. 

___________

The evening cared about exactly how Yvette thought it would, Willa drone on about various things while they all ate and Briar at times jumped in to give her input. But most of the time she did the same thing Yvette did, sat silently, smiled, and nodded at anything Willa said. It was just easier for everyone that way. Yvette took a sip of her wine, half-listening to what Briar and Willa were talking about, half-listening to the traffic outside. “You know when Yvette said she was dating someone. I was somewhat worried, I mean for I knew she could have brought someone like her father with her. And then it would be just like history would be repeating itself all over again, but you Briar, you were a pleasant surprise” Yvette clenched her jaw at her mother’s comment, she still continued on with drinking her wine, now giving her full attention to listening to the conversation. 

Briar let out a nervous chuckle, “I’m glad that I was a pleasant surprise to you Ms.Diamond. If I’m being honest myself I was worried that you wouldn't like me all that much. And frankly, I didn’t even know you were Yvette’s mom in the first place, but it was a pleasant surprise to find that out myself” she said with a smile, though Yvette could feel Briar’s gaze on her for a moment as she glared at her. 

“Oh nonsense, I would have liked any as long they weren’t like Blake” Yvette tensed up at the mention of her father’s name, “But I must admit as well that I didn’t expect Yvette to be dating someone like you, I really didn’t take you as being her type. Though I do suppose I don’t fully know what Yvett’s type even is, it’s not like she tells me anything unless there’s something in it for her. One of the many things she takes from her father, I’ve grown used to it by now. I must ask, what is your relationship like with my daughter?” 

“Well, our relationship isn’t anything out of the ordinary, besides the fact that some of our quality time together involves us working on the case. Which might I add has been going quite well, I do believe that I’ve sent a rep-”

“Briar can we please not talk about work for once” Yvette grumbled out as she continued to drink the last bit of her wine. She placed the glass down, picking up her fork and continued eating her food, “I just need one night where we don’t talk about it please” she added. It was true, Briar enjoyed working on the case, a bit too much at times and Yvette was always left feeling uneasy whenever she helped her. Like there was something looming over her, whether that be the guilt or the fear for the future of the case, Yvette didn’t know for sure. What she did know is that something was going to go wrong and she wanted for one night not to think about what that something might be. 

Willa cocked a brow, “Well, Yvette if Briar wants to talk about the case she’s more than welcome to. I myself am interested in how things are going” 

“Yes, but you can just read the report if you absolutely must know. It should have all our findings in it, you don’t need Briar to go and tell you everything. You can wait a day or two” Yvette snapped, “Besides, nothing all that interesting has happened. It’s not as if another body has been found” 

“But we did come to th-” Briar began, but was quickly cut off by Yvette. 

“Briar, please stop talking about the case. For one damn night can we just not talk about it is that so much to ask for!” she growled out as she shoved a bit of food in her mouth. Yvette didn’t mean to shout but she just wanted Briar to stop talking about the case, she just wanted peace and quiet without having to think of everything looming over her.

Yvette took hold of the bottle of wine, pouring a more than generous amount into her glass. The red liquid nearly flowed over the edge as Yvette brought it up to her lips, drinking the whole thing in one swing. Briar looked Yvette up and down, already sensing something was wrong. She could see how agitated she was getting, from her raised shoulders to the fact that she raised her voice, something that she rarely ever did. Briar wanted to ask what was wrong, but before she could Willa spoke up, “Really Yvette, must you raise your voice during dinner and can you please save some of the wine, it wasn’t cheap you know” Briar watched as Yvette paused for a moment, the bottle of wine still in hand ready to pour herself anyone glass. 

“Must you go and bring up dad during dinner” she retorted, “And it’s not as if you don’t have more bottles of wine mom, so let me just enjoy one. It’s not as if you give me anything else” Yvette had grumbled out the last part but both Briar and Willa still heard it. Briar could sense the mood shift entirely, now an uncomfortable atmosphere began to settle among the three women. 

Willa scoffed, rolling her eyes at Yvette’s comment, “I don’t give you anything? Yvette, I've given you plenty of things, at least I try, but you’ve never wanted them”

“Do you maybe ever think I don’t want material things? Do you maybe take into consideration that I’m not like you and don’t find pleasure in owning fancy and expensive things? Have you ever thought that I just want you to just listen to the things I have to say, and that would be enough?” shouted Yvette, as she glared back at her mother, still drinking her glass of wine. 

“Oh good lord, not this again” Willa sighed out, pinching the bridge of her nose, “For the last time, I do listen to Yvette, I really do. You just don’t tell me anything, I try to get you to talk but you never want to unless there’s something in it for you. Just like your father” 

Briar watched as Yvette tensed up, a hint of hurt washing over her face before being quickly replaced by anger. “For fuck sake can you stop comparing me to him! Every single time you have to bring him up at least once, I get it, mom, I’m more like dad then I am you. Frankly, I’m perfectly fine with that! Because at least dad had the common sense to realize how much an asshole you are. At least he knew that you only thought about yourself and that you would only drag him down, I don’t blame dad for leaving because I would have too if I had married you!” Yvette bellowed out, her voice cracking near the end, “And don’t you dare say that I only talk to you when there’s something in it for me because that’s something you do, not me. I’ve tried to talk to you mom, but you never give me a chance to, it’s always about you, and never anyone else” 

Willa flinched at her daughter’s harshness, “Your father leaving wasn’t my fault” she retorted, “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that Yvette, and I never said you were anything like yo-” 

“Yes, you do mom! You always do, the moment I do something you don’t like, it’s always the same response. ‘You’re just like your father Yvette’ And why else would have dad left, it surely wasn’t my fault, because I was only three mom, fucking three when he left. So explain to me, if it wasn’t your fault then whose fault was it, what did he just randomly come to the conclusion he wanted to move across the world and start a new family? People don’t do that mom! People have reasons for doing the things that they do, dad wouldn’t have just left if he didn’t have a reason to. And that reason was you! You're the reason he left, you don’t even want to admit it but you know it’s the truth. You say that dad left on his own accord but if he did that then why didn’t he take me with him?” Yvette bellowed out, Briar watched as she slammed her hands harshly down onto the table, causing the whole thing to shake. 

“Because he didn’t want you, Yvette!” Willa shouted back, equaling Yvette’s anger. The moment she realized what she’d said however, she began to simmer down. Yvette didn’t say anything and instead drew back, her mother’s words now settling in, Briar could see the tears starting to build up in the corner of her eyes. 

“And you did? Who are you kidding, you didn’t want me either mom. You might as well have abandoned me like dad because it sure as hell felt like it! Not once do I remember actually doing something fun with you when I was younger, all you were doing was work. Every time I would ask you something, it would always be work, the damn babysitters you’d hire were closer to me than you were. They actually did things with me when you were busy working” she hissed, “I became a fucking detective so I could work with you, so I would be able to spend time with you. But still, even when I’m working for you, you still never want anything to do with me” Yvette cried out, as she desperately tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. “I didn’t even want to bring Briar to meet you because I knew it would go badly, from the beginning I knew that this evening was going to go to shit. And oh look! It did” she paused, let out a shaky breath, “I knew I shouldn’t have come here, this whole evening was a mistake, I’m leaving” 

Before anyone could say anything else, Yvette shot up from the table and quickly began to make her way towards the door. Briar, still in the mists of processing everything that had happened, looks at Willa who’s still sitting at the table with a look of shock on her face as she too was still trying to fully comprehend everything. Briar was quick to follow behind Yvette, saying a fast good-bye to Willa before trying to catch up with her girlfriend.

When Briar had finally made it down to the parking lot, she caught sight of Yvette getting into her car. Briar followed suit, catching up to Yvette and getting into the passenger seat. “Yvette, you can’t just go….” her words died in her throat as she looked at Yvette, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh, love,” she said softly as she reached out to take Yvette’s hand. 

“I’m sorry” she choked out, “It wasn’t fair to you to have to be in the middle of that, you didn’t deserve that” 

“Yvette, that doesn’t matter. You don’t need to apologize for that, it wasn’t your fault” she said calmly, trying her hardest to soothe Yvette. 

Yvette sniffed as she looked down at her feet, “Briar I’m scared” was all she said before letting out a heart-wrenching sob, Briar wanted so desperately to reach out and hug Yvette. Even though she’d never seen Yvette like this before, she already didn’t like it, “I’m so scared” she turned to look at Briar, “I don’t want to die Briar” 

Briar was taken aback by Yvette’s response, “You aren’t going to die Yvette” Briar said, as she gave Yvette’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Why would you say that?” 

“Why wouldn’t I! Briar I’m Pride, I’m a part of these murders, I know I am. Everyone else who’s been involved in the case has been murdered so what’s not to say I won’t be too, and it makes sense. My mistake made everything in the case go wrong, because of my mistake guilty people went free, because of me a girl didn’t get justice. Because of me, and my pride all these murders are happening and I’m scared as a result” 

“You don’t know that for all we know Pride could be someone else. You don’t know for sure it’s you”

“Who else would it be Briar! Who else could possibly be Pride? It’s me, Briar, I know it’s me, but I don’t want to die. I’ve known for a while now, but now I actually have something worth living for, and I don't want to lose it. I don’t want to lose you, Briar, I’ve only just gotten you, I don’t want that to be taken away, for once in my life I actually have someone I care about and-”

“Yvette, please” Briar interjected, “Please don’t say that you aren’t going to lose me, and you most certainly aren’t going to die. I saved you once, and I will do it again if I must because I don’t want to lose you either Yvette”

“But you can’t always protect me, Briar, you aren’t always with me. You don’t even live with me, so what’s to say, when I’m alone that the killer finds me and they...” she let out another sob, “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to feel that helpless again. I was lucky the first time but what if next time I’m not”

Briar could feel herself fighting against the urge to cry, “Please don’t say that, you aren’t going anywhere, I’m going to make sure of that. I’ll keep you safe Yvette, I promise” 

Yvette sniffed, “You promise?” 

“I promise”


	16. Anger

Five years can either seem like a long time or a short time depending on the person. In Yvette’s line of work, five years go by excruciatingly long but still in all her years of working, never had she come across a case like this and never had she come across a crime scene like this. She stood there in a state of disbelief as she looked at the scene in front of her. The bloody, gruesome scene that was laid out for her. There, throughout the house, hung various limbs of what she could only assume to be from the same body. Blood still oozed out of them and onto the wooden floor, even though Yvette and Briar were only on the first floor of the house, the two of them had already seen more than enough. 

The torso of the body hung from the chandelier that was at the middle of the main living area, the clothes the victim was wearing were still on, drenched in the blood that came out from the various cuts that littered the body. The arms and legs hung nearby, but the head was nowhere in sight. The whole room was in complete disarray as well, nearly everything was either broken or out of place, shards of broken glass littered the floor. Along with different furniture were tossed across that room, the most noticeable being the brown leather couch which was flipped on its back, a cut down the center of it. 

Neither Yvette nor Briar said anything to each other, they only exchanged worried looks as they continued their way throughout the house. As they neared the torso, they were able to get a better look at the messy defining cut that would have been done to separate the torso from the rest of the body. Whereas before, the killer's cuts were messy and uneven, these cuts were long and clean. They were learning, they were improving, they were getting better, cleaner with each new murder. The thought alone sent shivers down Yvette’s spine.

Briar gingerly reached out a gloved hand, touching the body, it swayed back and forth as she tried to get a better hold on it. When she finally did, she took hold of the victim's shirt, lifting it up, allowing the two detectives to get a clear view of the word that was cut into the man’s chest. It was hard to make out, but the two detectives saw an A and a G carved into the victim’s chest. The letters were created with a clean-cut, but the word was still on a slight angle. Yvette couldn’t help but wonder if the victim was still alive when the killer branded them, taking their time, drawing out the completion of the word so that they could suffer all that much more.

Did the killer take pleasure in this? Having their victims suffer before their inevitable death. Being able to listen to every cry and plead that leave their victim's lips as they tortured them. Whether that was being burnt alive bit by bit, having your whole body drenched it boiling oil, being beaten to an inch of your life as snake venom slowly flowed through your veins, having to be force-fed another human being as the killer sat right across from you, coaxing you on. All the victims except for one had foul play somehow involved, Cassy Smith being the only one who had the luxury of a quick death. The murder that was out on display for them was no different, whoever this man was had to have to spend a great deal of time in pain as the kill made deep cuts into various parts of their body. 

Yvette knew that this had to be Anger, no other sin would involve the body needing to be separated into pieces. Not only that but so far the killer had remained as close as they could to having the sins suffer as they would in hell. Meaning that this man, whoever was unfortunate enough to be given the title of Anger was dismembered alive. The thought of him crying out in agony as the killer cut him up limb by limb, having to be conscious and aware as they cut through bone and muscle. It sent shivers down Yvette’s spine. That also left only one more sin left before the killer disappeared for good.

Pride, the root of all evil and the beginning of sin. Yvette would be damned if it was her, even with Briar’s constant reassure she still, deep down she knew it was her. And it scared her. She would never admit it to anyone else but the thought of dying terrified Yvette. Even though she was practically surrounded by death on a daily basis, it was different when it was her. Only now does she have something worth living for, someone, that makes her life more bearable. She didn’t want to lose that, she didn’t want to lose Briar, not after just getting her.

She had no one to blame but herself though, it was her fault that she’s on this killer's hit list. It’s because of her mistakes, she dug her own grave, and sooner or later she's going to have to realize that her death was inevitable. Her tutor was inevitable, Yvette was going to die and there was nothing her nor Briar could do anything about it. 

That still didn’t mean that Briar wasn’t trying, the young detective had encouraged Yvette to move in with her so that she could be with her most of the day. Even though Yvette was reluctant at first, not wanting to be a nuisance for Briar, after a while, she caved in and moved. In the few weeks that she’d been living there, things had been calm and it was nice to be able to be around Briar more offended. Not only that but it was nice to finally live in an environment that wasn’t purely built up of work. Sure, Yvette and Briar still did their work, the two of them shared an office at the moment. But the two of them still took time to just be with each other, most of the time it would be the two of them watching a movie together. Something that Yvette normally wouldn’t have found productive but watching movies with Briar had managed to change her opinion. Now they’ve become the highlight of her week when the two of them just sitting on the couch and enjoy a movie. It was at those moments Yvette would forget about work, forget about the killer and forget about her upcoming death. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with Briar and make the most of the time she had left. 

There was a downside with living with Briar however, her cat, Pearl wasn’t entirely too fond of a Yvette moving in. The cat was perfectly fine around Briar, curling up and snuggling close to her owner whenever she had the chance. Only fussing when it was hungry, which was far too often. When it came to Yvette, the cat was totally different. If Yvette tried to so much as touch the cat it would hiss and scratch at her and would choose to throw up on Yvette’s side of the bedroom whenever she had the chance. Briar would tell her that Pearl just needs to warm up to her, but deep down Yvette had a feeling the cat wasn’t even going to like her. Which was fine by her, she was much more of a dog person anyway. 

Yvette looked down at Briar who had a confused look on her face, her brows knitted together as she moved around the body trying to get a better understanding of what might have happened. She watched as her girlfriend neared one of the arms, taking hold of it as it still dangled in the air, “Yvette, we both agree this victim's male right?” she called, shifting her gaze to look at Yvette who nodded in response, “Do you think this could be Samatha’s father?” 

It wasn’t impossible if this was Samatha behind all of this Yvette had a feeling that the young twenty-one-year-old had no problem killing her own father. Not after everything that he’d done. To her, he could so easily just be another victim, just one more done getting closer and closer to the grand conclusion of her series of murders. That is to say that this was Samatha, even though she was now wanted under suspicion of being connected to these murders, it was still unknown whether or not this was her. 

“It could very well be” Yvette responded, “But unless we find a head or any indication it was him, we don’t know sure” 

“But let’s assume this is him, and he’s been given the sin of Anger, he’s been dismembered. Whether that be while he was still alive or not, he was still cut into pieces. Now, I don’t know about you but how could a twenty-one-year-old woman manage to take down a fully grown man”

“What are you implying? I mean, the killer did take down three other fully grown men before this one, so what’s to say that this is no different” Yvette questioned as she cocked a brow. 

Briar shrugged in response, “But it is different, at least before there was evidence of a struggle. This doesn’t look like a struggle” she gestured at the room they were in, “This just looks like a room that someone torn apart by themselves in a fit of range”

“Like the killer threw a fit or something?” Yvette interjected. 

Briar nodded, “That’s exactly it, there’s no blood anywhere else in this room besides where the bodies have been hanging. No scratch marks no nothing to indicate that the struggle occurred here, which leads me to believe that whoever the victim was, wasn’t murder here. Or at least in this area, this mess was created by the killer, whether that be because they through a fit or them struggling to get the bodies hung for the ceiling ” 

“Well, where would you say the actual murder took place? 

“Perhaps upstairs?” Briar said with a shrug, “I mean there’s only one way to find out” with that Briar took hold of Yvette’s hand, dragging her along with her as they climbed up the stairs that led upstairs. Yvette wanted to pull her hand away, purely because of the fact that Briar’s still gloved hand was covered in blood. 

When the two reached upstairs, they were met with nothing unusual. Everything seemed in tack, nothing was out of place, not even a single drop of blood was in sight. It was too perfect, and Yvette had a feeling that something gruesome hid behind one of the three closed doors. “I’ll take the left, you take the right” Yvette said stiffly, watching as Briar nodded in response, wasting no time to open the door with her clean hand. 

Yvette let out a small sigh as she took hold of the first door she’d have to go into, slowly opening it only to find herself at a loss for words at the sight. It wasn’t anything bloody of gruesome, no in fact it was a bedroom, a small quaint bedroom. The walls were painted a dark purple that almost appeared brown, the walls cover to the brim with photos, trophies, and medals. This was Samatha’s room, more specifically her childhood room. The floor was a dark-colored wood, a small fuzzy gray mat was laid out right beside the side of the bed. A thick purple comforter was draped onto the bed, silk violet pillows poked out from underneath it. Various stuffed animals littered the bed, most of which were either bears or wolves. 

She stepped into the room, it was like the whole room had been suspended in time, remaining the same as it had been five years ago. The was a black desk to the right of the room, directly across from the bed, a massive closet in between the two. The desk was covered in pencils and sketchbooks, two black shelves had been installed on either end of the desk, which were filled row to row in art supplies. Right above the desk was a painting of a cherry blossom tree, the beautiful pink petals were highlighted nicely in the painting. Had Samatha painted this? Once upon a time, when she still lived here. 

The photos that hung from the wall were taken over the years, the same three girls aging throughout them. Yvette could help but smile at some of them, particularly one that had been taken on what had appeared to be Halloween. Samatha was dressed in an odd, black colored suit with shades on, her short black gelled up as black wings hung from behind her. To her left were Paula and Cassy, Paula was dressed as a nurse and Cassy appeared to be dressed as a cat, both costumes were equally as revealing. Samatha was the only one out of the three that wasn’t dressed in a costume overly revealing. They all looked so happy, all the three girls who looked to be in their mid-teens and were smiling ear to ear. 

Then there were the trophies, placed neatly on shelves with several gold and silver medals surrounding them. They were all for long-distance races, from 800m to 12000m and some high jump and long jump were thrown into the mix. Some photos of Samantha holding her winnings were on the shelves as well, one in which had just her and Brooklyn in it. The younger athlete was sitting on the other's shoulders, both of them smiling happily at the camera. 

To think that five years ago Samatha lived in this house, that she’d sleep in this room and now as Yvette stood in it. It felt like nothing more than a glimpse into the past. What Samatha’s life used to be like before her life took a turn for the worse. 

A pang of guilt hit the detective, she shouldn’t be in her room, she has no right to be in here. If it wasn’t for her, Samatha could still be living this type of life, she would still be happy. It was Yvette’s fault that was all ripped away from her. 

Yvette was quick to exit the room, slamming the door harshly as she did so. The loud noise caused Briar to pop her head out from the other room, “Find anything?” she asked, Yvette only shook her head in response. Briar shrugged before going back into the room, looking for any sort of evidence. Yvette was about to go into the last room when something caught her eye. 

She turned her head to look down the hall, there hanging from the ceiling was a small rope with a black ball on the end of it. It swayed side to side, drawing it Yvette in to go and investigate. As she neared it, Yvette was quick to realize that it was just merely a string hanging from the ceiling, it was attached to something. She took hold of it, hanking on it, watching as a door swung open and a ladder unfolded before her. 

It was the entrance to the attic, cautiously Yvette ascended up the ladder, now getting a better look at the attic. She expected it to be empty like most attics were, but much to her surprise the large space was covered in various items that were scattered across the room. A sleeping bag was rolled out, a computer placed beside it with also a backpack and purse. It was set up like someone had been living up here, Yvette entered the room, taking a look around. 

Wrappers littered the floor along with other garbage and dirty clothes that were strewn to the side, someone had been living up here. Yvette couldn’t believe it, the number of clothes and food that was there made it appear like someone had been living up here for weeks, months even. How did they even get up here in the first place though, they couldn’t have just walked through the front door without a key. Unless they did have a key? Not only that but how had the owner of the house not realize? 

She explored deeper into the room, more wrappers and other dirty ideas were coming to the view. When she reached the sleeping bag, Yvette kneeled down, picking up the phone that was on top of it. It must have belonged to whoever was living up here before she could do anything else however a loud scream echoed throughout the house. 

Yvette shot up as she rushed to the ladder, practically jumping down it instead of climbing down. Before she knew it, she was at Briar’s side, who stared into the other room with a horrified look on her face. Yvette turned to look where Briar was and she fought back the urge to vomit at the sight. 

There, before them was the victim's head, eyes gouged out, and instead in their place were two male genitals. The victim's jaw hung loosely, only the skin keeping it from completely falling off, another genital hanging out of it. The head had been pierced through the center with a piece of a banister, that had been sharpened at the tip. The entire master bedroom was covered in blood, the whole room in complete disarray, this time in a way that was clear as a result of a struggle. Pictures and news articles hung from the ceiling and covered the floor, all in which in some way related to the Paula Brown case. Briar was right, after all, this was Tyler Wilson, the man who had raped and murdered Paula Brown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Samatha is dressed up as Crowley from Good Omens. Just thought I'd mention that.


	17. Death Can Be Scary

Yvette found herself staring up at the ceiling, having woken up a long time ago she couldn’t get herself to go back to sleep. So she just laid there, staring up at the ceiling above her, her mind too crowded with thoughts for her to be able to find any peace. She was tired, but she was far too awake at this point to go back to bed. This was starting to become something common for Yvette, she’d find herself waking up in the middle of the night for no reason and the moment she would open her eyes, thought would come flooding in. Thought that she didn’t want, thoughts she didn’t need, thoughts all pertaining to the same basic idea. Her death. 

Yvette knew it was coming, it was only a matter of when. She knew that all it took was one mistake or one moment for Briar to be absent for there to be an opportunity for the killer to strike. The killer, who as Briar had guessed was indeed Samatha Wilson. Her clothes, both clean and dirty were everywhere in the attic in Tyler Wilson's house, even the ones that were covered in blood had a special corner up there. Alongside used bandages and other medical supplies that were covered in Samatha’s DNA, used to no doubt tend to the gunshot wound she’d sustained a while back. With all the evidence, that clearly pointed to Samatha being the culprit behind all of this, the two detectives had more than enough to make her a prime suspect and now a wanted serial killer, for six consecutive accounts of first-degree murder. The same teenager that Yvette had watched getting questioned, watched take the stand at her father’s trial, was now a killer and it was all Yvette’s fault. 

To think that if Yvette had been paying a bit more attention beforehand, instead of being so caught up with having to work with Briar at the beginning. Might she have recognized her, see how she barely changed throughout the years, and realize that it was a bit of a coincidence that she and Ms.Anderson lived next door to one another. But no, like always Yvette was more focused on herself, being blinded by her own distaste for Briar that she didn’t even realize the obvious. Maybe if she had, none of this would have continued, that Samatha would have been caught and that no one else would have had to have died. 

This truly was Yvette’s fault and it was slowly eating her alive, the guilt, the regret, everything was becoming too overwhelming for her. But she also knew that she deserved this, she deserved to feel this way because this is what she gets for being so selfish. For only thinking about herself for years on end, never once taking into account how her actions have consequences. Yvette deserved what awaited her. 

Yvette was thrown out of her thoughts and she heard Briar stir beside her, the other detective turned onto her side, her back now facing Yvette. What was going to happen to Briar after all of this? Briar still didn’t want to come to terms with the inevitable, telling Yvette that it could be anyone like it somehow made a difference. She was trying and Yvette knew that but sometimes she wished she didn’t. She wished that Briar would just distance herself from Yvette so that her death wouldn’t affect her nearly as much as it would now. Yvette didn’t want Briar to suffer because of her death, but in the end, the effects her death has on Briar rely on Briar. It’s up to her how she’s going to react. 

She could hear the light pitter-patter of Briar’s cat as she walked through the halls outside the bedroom, trying to focus on that instead of her own thoughts. The footsteps got closer up until Yvette felt a bit of newfound weight on her chest, craning her neck to look at the Pearl who decided her chest to be a great place to take a seat. At least she wouldn’t care if Yvette left. 

The cat looked back at Yvette, it's fluffy tail swaying back and forth as it did so, only half of the cat was visible in the moonlight, the other half was still shrouded in darkness. Pearl let out a shrill meow which cut through the quietness, Yvette winced as she heard Briar stir once again. Letting out a small groan as she flopped onto her other side, now facing Yvette, she mumbled something that Yvette couldn’t quite make out. Pearl let out another meow which only caused Briar to groan again, “Can you feed her please” she grumbled out before turning over again. 

Yvette gave Pearl a quick glance before she pushed herself up, getting out of bed. Shivers were sent down Yvette’s spin as her bare feet came into contact with the cool hardwood flooring. She dragged her feet as she made her way to the kitchen, Pearl not far behind. Yvette still wasn’t entirely used to the layout of Briar’s kitchen, whereas hers was enclosed and more rustic. Briar much rathered hers to be more open and modern. 

Pearl jumped up onto the counter, watching as Yvette searched for her food, something else Yvette wasn’t used to. Briar had an odd way of giving her cat her food, normal pet owners would just feed their cat dry food and be done with it, instead, Briar would feed her cat a mixture of both wet and dry food. The combination was the other thing Pearl ate apparently, refusing to eat either wet or dry food, for some odd reason they had to be together. Yvette found herself yawning as she mixed the two foods together, dishing the chunky mixture onto a plate and placing it on the floor. Watching the cat dive straight into it. 

Yvette turned to look at the digital clock that showed on the oven, it was 4:30 in the morning, there was no point in her heading back into bed. So Yvette found herself making herself a cup of coffee and heading to the office, taking a seat at her desk. She didn’t want to work, but she didn’t exactly have anything else better to do. 

Her desk was covered in various files, most of which were of the victims but some were of personal notes were in there as well. Samatha’s phone was placed at the corner of her desk, the two detectives had already gone through it and found nothing out of the ordinary. All that was on it were pictures and photos of Samatha and her friends throughout the years, going as far back as six years ago. 

There was one video that stuck out the most for Yvette, it was a five-minute video of Samatha, Paula, and Cassy going what she assumed to be fishing. Cassy and Samatha watched as Paula dove into the water after her fishing rod had gotten pulled into the lake. When Paula couldn’t get it back, and came out of the lake soaking wet, the young teen clearly unhappy. So Samatha had placed her phone down and too, jumped into the water so that both girls would be wet and cold for the rest of the trip. The sound of Paula’s laugher as she watched Samatha jump in had made Yvette smile slightly. Samatha used to be so different back then. 

When comparing the photos and video from before Paula’s death to after, there was a distinct difference with how Samatha was in them. She still smiled and laughed but there was just something about it that seemed off. It was almost as if she was smiling and laughing just to show those around her that she was happy, that she wasn’t being genuine when she’d laughed. She just looked tired nearly all the time. Then there was the absence of Cassy as things got more recent, only Brookelyn was in them. 

To look at what Samatha was like then, what she was like now, made the guilt that weighed on Yvette only worsen. How could someone who was so kind and giving, someone who used to be disgusted by blood become a killer? What would have even driven Samantha to do all of this? 

Yvette found her gaze drifting to the case files, the contents inside of them overflowing onto her desk. To think that each victim had now become this, merely a file full of information, that was all they were now. With their bodies buried and their killer left at large, this was their last contribution to the world. Their files were used to help solve these murders, and to catch the killer behind all of this. Would the same apply to Yvette when she died? Would the only meaningful thing she’d contribute to this world be a case file that would be tucked away once the case had ended. With all the mistakes she’s made, at least any information that would reside in her file would finally do some good. Would people even miss her? Would her mother care if she was gone? It wasn’t as if Willa liked Yvette all that much and it wasn’t as if she had put all that much effort into being a part of her life. Who was she kidding, Willa would no doubt be glad that Yvette was finally out of her life. She’d be free to do whatever she wanted without having to worry about her daughter weighing her down. She wouldn’t have to look at Yvette and have a constant reminder of her ex-husband who left her to start anew. She wouldn’t mourn Yvette’s death, she’d celebrate it. 

Then there was Piper, the first-ever friend Yvette ever actually had. Would she care if Yvette died? Sure Yvette might not have always been the best person to her, at times being rude and snarky to the young scientist, but she would still miss Yvette. Right? She wouldn’t just forget about Yvette, would she? She’d have to at least be somewhat affected by the loss of a friend, but at least she’d have her family to fall back on. 

What about Briar?

The thought that Yvette had been trying so desperately to push back into her mind, how would her death affect Briar? Briar has always been the more sensitive one out of the two, she’d openly express her emotions and would always encourage Yvette to do the same. She was always nice to Yvette, she’s gone out of her way to make Yvette happy time and time again and not once has Yvette been able to return the favor. Briar had made Yvette feel wanted. If it wasn’t for Briar, Yvette would have never learned what love felt like, what it felt like to be loved, and what it felt like to love someone else. Yvette doesn’t know how much of an effect she’s had on Briar’s life, but if it’s anything like what Briar has done for her. She knew that her death would take a toll on Briar. The thought of Briar cry over Yvette’s body, and have to constantly look over her case file made Yvette’s heartbreak, this was going to destroy Briar. 

Out of everyone Yvette knew, she knew that at least Briar would care about her death, perhaps a bit too much. She didn’t want Briar to suffer because of her, enough people already have done that as is. But what was there to do? Yvette couldn’t cheat death, she can’t hide forever, sooner or later she’ll have to go back to her apartment and she knew at that point. That would be when her fate would be sealed when she could no longer avoid her death and she’d have to face Samantha. 

When would be a good time to do that? There were so many things that Yvette had yet to do in her life, she wanted to get married, have a family, live a long life with Briar but now she knew she wouldn’t be able to do any of those things. The thought that she’d been leaving her life behind when there were so many things left undone, so many things she’s wanted to, that she’ll never be able to scared Yvette. 

Yvette didn’t want to die, she didn’t want to have to die the same terrible way all the other sins have. She doesn’t want to be tortured and have to have her death drawn out, she doesn’t want to have Briar continue to work on the case knowing that Yvette was now a part of it. She doesn’t want to see someone she cared so much about unhappy. Yvette didn’t even realize Briar was awake until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, Briar’s chin resting on the top of her head. Yvette also didn’t realize she’d been crying, not until she found herself sobbing in Briar’s embrace.


	18. You're Loved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Second last chapter, I know this one is a lot shorter than my other ones, but I wanted to just put out a small little chapter before the big finale! The last chapter will most likely be the longest chapter out of all of these so brace for that, but for now, enjoy this chapter of Briar worrying for Yvette's wellbeing!

Briar wasn’t as naive as Yvette thought she was, she knew what was going on in her girlfriend’s head and she wanted so desperately for Yvette to just talk to her. She knew that with everything that had been going on, Yvette had been under a lot of pressure and unnecessary stress that Briar could tell was starting to get to her. The two hadn’t even had a chance to talk about what had happened a few nights ago, Briar waking up in the early hours of the morning only to find Yvette crying in the office. She wanted to talk to Yvette about it, but every time she tried she’d merely avoid the question and go out of her way to change the subject. Briar wanted to help Yvette so badly, but she couldn’t do that if Yvette wasn’t willing to talk to her. 

Yvette’s silence wasn’t the only thing that was starting to concern Briar, Yvette had also become more reclusive around Briar. Even though the two lived together, it sometimes felt like Yvette was in her own world, far off, not completely paying attention to the world around her. She’d spend most of her time locked in the office, and when she did leave, she’d purposely go out of her way to avoid Briar. Not wanting to spend more than a few minutes in the same room as her. It was hurtful for Briar to have Yvette avoid her, especially when she didn’t know why. 

Briar would try to talk to Yvette, even if it was to converse in small talk, but every time she’d open her mouth Yvette would turn on her heel and leave. It was like they were back at the start, Yvette once again wanting nothing to do with Briar, seeing her as nothing more than a useless pest that followed her around. Briar strived to help Yvette, she wanted her girlfriend to go back to how she normally was. But she couldn’t do that if Yvette wasn’t willing to talk to her, or at the very least be around Briar. 

So there she was, laying on her side in her now empty bed, Yvette long since got up to wander around the apartment. Briar closed her eyes, trying to allow herself to drift back to sleep but in the end, she found herself unable to. Her mind was too preoccupied to be able to allow her to go back to sleep. Which left her with two opinions, either she stay in bed and listen to the sound of Yvette’s continuous footsteps until morning, or get out of bed and try to confront Yvette. 

Briar could hear Yvette mumbling to herself as she paced around the main living area, her feet landing harshly on the wood floor with each step she took. Briar just wanted to help her, she really did, but she knew that even if she tried Yvette wouldn’t want to talk to her. So she just laid there, listening to the echoing footsteps until she found herself slowly drifting off back to sleep. 

Briar found herself waking up once again, only to find a newfound weight on the other side of the bed. She snuck a glance over her shoulder only to be met with Yvette’s back to her, the other woman seemingly fasts asleep. Her chest slowly rising and falling as quiet snore escaped her. Briar was surprised, normally once Yvette got out of bed she didn’t come back, instead, she would either go into the office and work or fall back asleep on the couch. 

Briar turned onto her other side, now being able to clearly see Yvette. Her golden colored hair messily strewn across the pillow without the gel to keep it neat and upright. Her mouth hung open slightly as she snored and her arms dangled off the edge of the bed. Briar couldn’t help but smile, she looked so peaceful while she slept. At least the stress of this case hadn’t completely robbed her of the ability to get a good night's sleep. 

She wanted so badly to wrap her arms around Yvette and to pull her close just like what they used to do, but Briar didn’t want to disturb her. So for now she would just watch from a distance until she falls back asleep. Briar watched as Yvette slowly began to stir, slowly turning onto her other side so that she was now facing Briar. Yvette continued to sleep on whereas Briar just watched her. 

Even when asleep Yvette still looked beautiful and Briar couldn’t help but reach out and trace her thumb across Yvette’s cheek. It had been so long since she’d been able to do this, the feeling of Yvette’s skin against her own was foreign to Briar. She brought her hand up to run through Yvette’s hair, it was still somewhat stiff from the gel. Briar hadn't realized how much she missed this, not until she found herself moving closer to Yvette, wrapping her arms around her and pressing a quick kiss onto Yvette’s forehead. She knew that this wasn’t going to last and that sooner or later Yvette was going to wake up. But for the time being Briar intended to make the most of this moment as if this was her last moment with Yvette. 

Yvette began to stir not too long after, her eyes squinting to get used to the darkness. She moved for a moment before realizing the position she was in, feeling Briar’s arms wrapped around her. Stiffening up Yvette bit down on the inside of her cheek, what should she do? The feeling of Briar’s warmth was comforting but she’d been trying to distance herself from Briar at the same time. 

Briar sighed, tightening her grip on Yvette, “I love you Yvette” she whispered as she rested her chin on the top of Yvette’s head. When Yvette didn’t respond Briar let out an airy chuckle, “You’re asleep I know, and I hope I won’t wake you but I want you to know that I do love you. Even if you have been distant, I don’t hold that against you, I get it. With everything that’s been going on, you have every right to be worried, you have every right to be feeling whatever your feeling. But know that I’m here for you, you don’t have to suffer alone, if you would just talk to me I can help you. I know you’re hurting Yvette and I only want to help you” she sighed, “But knowing you, you’re just going to keep on being stubborn and reclusive. I still love you though, and that will never change. Even if you completely shut me out of your life, I’ll still be there for you. I promise” 

______

Briar found herself alone on the couch, watching whatever show that she’d manage to find on TV as Pearl curled up in her lap. It was late in the evening, the soft piper pater of the rain landing on the window was Briar’s sole focus, trying her hardest not to think about the thought that had been weighing on her mind for the past few hours. Yvette had left to go back to her apartment to pick up some extra things three hours ago and she hadn’t returned back home. Even though Yvette told her not to worry, that she would be back in a few hours, Briar still had a feeling deep down that something was going to go wrong. That something was going to happen to Yvette. 

She half expected for Yvette to at least call her to tell her everything was alright, but Briar has yet to have gotten any sort of contact from Yvette to say otherwise. Even just a simple text would put Briar at ease, but right now, for all Briar knew Yvette was dead. She shook her head, she shouldn’t be thinking like that, Yvette is more than capable of taking care of herself and she shouldn’t be worrying whether or not Yvette was dead. She could easily just be caught in traffic, or decided to pick something up on her way home, nothing at all pointed to the fact that Yvette was in danger. 

The feeling was still there, however, and Briar knew it wasn’t going to go away. She thought back to last night, when she held Yvette close to her, what if that really was her last time with Yvette? The thought alone sent shivers down Briar’s back, what if the next time she was Yvette it would be in a body bag or cut open for an autopsy?

With everything that had been happening would that really be that far fetched, would the idea of Yvette being killed really be that unlikely? Yvette left alone, without Briar, leaving her vulnerable to whoever wished to cause her harm and Briar allowed it. Briar let Yvette leave the house alone knowing everything that was going on with the case, she knew that Yvette was wrapped up in the series of murders. So what’s to say, now that she was finally alone the killer didn’t take advantage of that. 

What’s to say, that at this very moment Yvette was being tortured or worse already dead. Briar didn’t want to imagine the thought of seeing Yvette dead, laid in front of her lifeless. It made her sick to her stomach and Briar found herself standing up from her spot on the couch. Picking up her phone from the coffee table and without a second thought, calling Yvette. 

She paced around the room as the phone rang, Briar hoping that she would answer the phone. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, it went straight to voicemail, not even going through to the second ring. The worry that was building inside of Briar only worsted, why wasn’t Yvette answering? Had something happened to her? Is she in trouble, is she hurt? 

Thought after thought collided within Briar's mind as she found herself trying to call again, and again but just like the time before it went straight to voicemail and Briar couldn’t help but worry for the worse. Where was Yvette?


	19. Pride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! So this is the last chapter of the book, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's read my book and I hope all know that it means a lot to me to know that people enjoy the things that I've written. I really hope you guys enjoy!

Samatha Elizabeth Wilson, a twenty-one-year-old psychology major who in two and a half months had managed to torture and murder six people in unique but still painful ways. She’d also managed to sustain one gunshot wound to the arm, one black eye and two broken fingers in the process. That didn’t stop her, no, if anything the injuries that she’d gotten only drove her to continue. After all, wounds heal, they disappear and fade into nothing more than a memory. Sins on the other hand, and the wretched mistakes that they’ve made in their lives don’t. As much as they might want them to, there will always be someone out there that will remember. There will always be someone out there to make those who’ve sinned pay for their mistakes. Even if that makes them a sinner too. 

Yvette Jaune Diamond, a thirty-two-year-old Homicide Detective who in her six years of being on the job had managed to let three guilty men go free. Let them live in the outside world, not to be properly held accountable for their crimes. Allowing others around them to be hurt and suffer at the hands of them just like Paula Brown had. She was a naïve detective who thought herself to be perfect, unable to make any mistakes. Letting her pride blind her to the truth of her actions, how the simple act of blaming someone else for her mistakes led to drastic consequences. Consequences she didn’t even realize until they were shoved in her face, and even then it took her far too long to realize that it was all because of her.

Now, was the moment that Samatha had truly been waiting for, now she was finally able to finish these tedious murders and move on with her life. There, tied to the chair across from her was Yvette Diamond, Pride herself. Samatha could barely contain herself, her excitement radiating off of her as she watched Yvette squirm in her restraints. Oh, how Samatha couldn’t wait to see her bleed, to hear her cries for help and screams of pain as she made her suffer for her sins. 

She couldn’t help but smile, her hands tightly gripped at the edge of the table, fighting the urge to lunge across the table and finish this once and for all. But no, Samatha was going to wait, there was no rush, her flight didn’t leave for another five hours so she could take things as slow and steady if she wanted. Prolong Yvette’s suffering until the older woman was begging for Samatha to just kill her, that truly was her favorite part of all of this. 

Being able to hear her victims beg to be killed, choking on their own blood as Samatha smiled down at them. Taking in every single ounce of pain and agony that was portrayed on each sin's face. It made the hours she spent tutoring them more than worth it. She just wished at times that the human body wasn’t so flimsy, that it wouldn’t only take a few hits until it inevitably started to shut down. Leaving her with a half-conscious person, only partly being able to feel the pain that Samatha inflicted on them. It honestly made things quite dull after a while, at first, it was so much fun to watch the life slowly fade out of her victim's eyes. But now, such a thing just made Samatha want to kill them faster, after all, what was the point with her putting her all into tutoring them if they were already dying. But Samatha somehow had a feeling that Yvette was going to last a lot longer than the others, the thought alone made Samatha giddy with excitement. 

When Yvette finally stopped squirming, Samatha let out an airy chuckle, leaving back in her seat, “Tired already?” she asked. Yvette didn’t say anything however, instead, she merely looked back at Samatha with an emotionless look on her face, Samatha couldn’t exactly say she was surprised. It was Yvette’s job to look intimidating, so it shouldn’t come as a shock that she would seemingly look unfazed by the predicament she was in. It would take time to get Yvette to crack and Samatha had more than enough of it. Patience was the way to win and Samatha would be damned if she didn’t. “Your apartment is quite nice,” she said, “You know it took me a while to actually find where you lived, and even when I did. You decided to move, which just made my job harder” 

It was true, Samatha had planned out how she was going to go through with the murders in pristine detail and everything was going smoothly until she started to hit a few bumps in the road. At first, it was her getting shot, an unplanned event that Samatha should have been prepared for. But as a result of a few errors, she wasn’t, resulting in her having to take a break for a few weeks. Then it was the broken fingers she’d gotten when Thomas Brown wasn’t going down easily, which also put her back a few days. But the worse one, was when Yvette had just gone up and moved without giving any sort of indication she was going to do so. It had taken Samatha weeks to find out where she was and when she did, she wasn’t stupid enough to break in. Not when there were now two Homicide Detectives living under one roof. So she decided to wait until the perfect moment when Yvette left the safety of Briar’s Appartement alone to strike. 

She didn’t predict that Yvette would have been foolish enough to head back to her own apartment, alone, in the middle of the night, unarmed. Samatha just couldn’t let an opportunity like that getaway, which is why she went through with her plan. Like always, Yvette’s downstairs neighbors leave at 10 PM and don’t return home till the early hours of the morning. They also would always leave a key under the mat outside their front door, so all Samatha had to do was go through their apartment. Climb up to Yvette’s balcony, break open the patio door and wait. 

This is exactly what she did, and all she had to do was wrestle with Yvette until she managed to bash the detective's head against the coffee table a few times. Rendering her unconscious. Then Samatha tied her up and waited for her to wake up, which is where they were now. 

Yvette glared back at Samatha who merely smiled back at her, her hands resting on the back of her head as she leaned back in her chair. “Don’t give me that look detective, you knew this was coming” Samatha scoffed, “Look, you and I both know how this night is going to end so why don’t we try and make the most of it. You’re my last murder, and I want to make this special. So, why don’t we play a game or something?” 

“What kind of game?” Yvette spat. 

“Well it isn’t really a game, but more of a Q&A. You ask me a question, and I answer it honestly. Then I ask you a question and you have to answer honestly. It’s as simple as that” Samatha giggled, digging into her pocket and pulling out her phone, “And we can record it all on here” she waved her phone around, “Also, thanks for bringing this with you. Even though I intended to just leave this here when I leave, I still find it nice how you gave me back my phone” Samatha scrolled through her phone for a moment before slamming it down harshly onto the table, making Yvette jump slightly, “This is recording, one of one for Samatha Wilson’s confession. The time is 11:34PM, my name is Samatha Wilson and I’m here with Detective Yvette Diamond” she smiled down at her phone as she spoke, leaning towards it as she did so, “Ok, Detective, you go first. What’s a question that you want to ask me?” 

Yvette furrowed her brows at the question, what could she even ask? There were so many questions she wanted answers to before, but now that she sat across from Samatha she found herself at a loss. Samatha just looked back at Yvette with that same cheeky smile on her face like before, her left eye still swollen from the black eye she sustained. Her normally short, black hair was starting to grow out, now ending right below her ears. Yvette felt shivers run down her spine as Samatha watched her with those black eyes, but unlike before, when they were cold and empty, now there was a sense of joy that laid within them. “Why?” was all Yvette said, her voice hoarse. She watched as Samatha cocked a brow at the question, her head tilting slightly in confusion. 

“Why? Why what? Why am I doing all of this?” Yvette stiffly nodded, “Oh, well that’s an easy question” Samatha let out another chuckle, “I’m doing all of this because someone in this world needed to write the wrong that sinners make. I mean, when you think about it, everyone in the world has sinned at least once in their life, whether that be that they told a simple white lie or they went and brutally raped, beat, and murdered a fifteen-year-old girl to the point where her body was nearly unrecognizable. But I digress, people are naturally going to sin at least one point in their lives, but it is the severity of that sin that’s important. Sometimes, people need to be punished for their sins, not just when they're in hell, but also when they’re still living too, so that they realize that their actions have consequences. So they don’t just go and think they can get away with what they’ve done, which is where I come in” she gestured to herself as she let out a hearty chuckle, “My father, murdered my best friend and you let him get away with it. Josh Jackson and Thomas Brown, raped my best friend and you let them get away with it” Samatha pointed at Yvette, “But you're not completely to blame, of course, no, there were others who let those men go free. But they too suffered for their mistakes just like you will. In the end, though, the reason I did all this is that clearly no one else has been able to. So I was forced to step in and deal with those filthy sinners myself” 

“But you’re a sinner yourself are you not? You admitted to it in your letter” Yvette questioned, Samatha tensed up for a moment before relaxing once again. She let out a small chuckle, changing her position that she was now leaning on the table. Her elbows propped up, her head resting in her hands. 

“That’s not how the game works” she tensed, “You asked me a question, so now I ask you one” Samatha pondered for a minute, “This might be a bit personal, but what do you like to do in your free time detective?” she asked with a smirk. 

Yvette opened and closed her mouth, not quite knowing how to react to Samatha’s question. It was just a general question, something that you would ask someone if you were trying to get to know them. Not when you’re in the middle of a confession tape, but here Samatha was, doing just that. Talking and asking Yvette questions as if she was trying to befriend her, completely disregarding the fact that she planned to kill Yvette by the end of the night. “I prefer to do work in my free time,” Yvette said simply. 

Samatha scoffed and rolled her eyes, “You’re no fun, like seriously, what do you do for fun? You can’t possibly spend all your time doing work, that’s so boring. Don’t you have a girlfriend or something, don’t you even spend time with her?” Yvette tensed up at the mention of Briar, “What? You don’t think I know about you and detective Woods? I’m not an idiot, and you’re welcome by the way if it wasn’t for me forcing you two to work together. I doubt you two would even be together” she giggled, “You don’t need to thank me though, take it as a simple favor from me to you” 

“Why are you being so nice?” Yvette interjected, she glared back at Samatha who put her hands up defensively. 

“I’m assuming that this is you using up your next turn. But there is no reason I’m being nice, this is how I normally am. What did you expect me to be some ruthless killer who planned on just taunting you until I killed you? Because I’m not about that. I mean I can if you want to, we can just cut to the chance already and I can just go onto giving you your choices” 

“What choices?” 

“You had your turn detective so you have to wait” Samatha giggled, “My turn now, why didn’t you want to believe I was behind all of this? I mean, detective Woods thought it was me months ago, but you, you still were in denial about that and I just gotta know why” 

“I just couldn’t see you doing any of this” Yvette simply said, “The last time I saw you, you were so scared and so young. I-” 

“I was a sixteen-year-old girl who’d just watched her friend get murdered, I’m pretty sure if anyone was in my position. They would also be scared shitless, but that was five years ago, people can change in that time. Did you expect me to stay that way forever, scared and naïve, not wanting to come to the harsh truth that my best friend was dead? Because I wasn’t about to let that happen. For five I’ve been working to get past all that, I didn’t want to stay afraid. I didn’t want to keep cowering away in my house, too scared to leave, constantly worrying if my father was going to come and find me even though I was on the other side of the goddamn world!” she shouted, slamming her hands down harshly on the table. Samatha let out a shaky breath as she tried to compose herself.

“What happened to you?” Yvette asked softly, even though she knew she shouldn’t, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat bad for Samatha. The young woman, who had long since buried her head in her hands looked up at Yvette.

“When everything had happened, my mum wanted to get me as far away from this place as possible. She dragged to England when Brooklyn had moved back and I was forced to start anew there. But I admit, I was still scared, I had been scared up to the point when I moved back here. I hated the feeling so much, I hated feeling weak and vulnerable. It was just something I couldn’t escape, but that’s beside the point, you just got your question, so now it’s back to me. Why didn’t you recognize me when you saw me a few months ago?”

Yvette shrugged, “In all honesty, I don’t know. When I look at you now, I see the resemblance to the younger you. I guess I was caught up in my own problem with my partner. I didn’t really take into consideration how familiar you looked and I suppose I also didn’t want to take in the probability of it really being you” Samatha nodded in response, “And to fully answer your other question. I didn’t want to think it was you because I knew, deep down that if that was the case. I would be involved in the murders, and I didn’t want to think about that. The thought of dying scared me, but I also knew that I would have been to blame for you starting all these murders in the first place. But I suppose that is the case isn’t it?”

Samatha looked at Yvette for a moment before laughing, “God no, the first murder was an accident” she laughed, snorting between breaths, “I didn’t mean to murder Cheryl Anderson, that whole debacle was a direct result of me having a breakdown and not having anyone there to help me” she let out another snort, “You see, Brooklyn had decided to go out drinking with some of her High School friends and left me alone. Now I don’t do good with being alone, but it only got worse when I went to introduce myself to the neighbors and lord behold she’s my next-door neighbor. To put a long story short I lashed out and then the next thing I knew I was standing over Cherly Anderson’s greasy corpse!” 

“I don’t understand, if you killed Cheryl Anderson by accident, why’d you go to kill everyone else?” 

“That’s a good question detective, and to put it simply, it was because of you” Samatha let out a small chuckled as she watched the color drain from Yvette’s face, “I planned on turning myself in, I was so disgusted and horrified that I’d one such a thing to another person. I wanted to be put away, but when I saw you at my door, I changed my mind. The last case you were assigned to, you let the killer go free, so I thought, maybe I could test the waters and see if you’d make the same mistake again. And oh look, you did” Samatha smiled back at Yvette, “So I devised a plan, a brilliant, well thought out plan to kill six more people, all in which were related to the Paula Brown case, and also fit into the category of the seven deadly sins” 

Yvette found herself at a loss of words, the way Samatha laid everything out, she said it so simply. Like it was just the way it was, that it was just her talking about how she planned to kill seven people in cold blood. She sounds so unfazed by everything she was saying, you would have thought she was talking about the premise to a book or something. 

“So what do you plan to do now?” 

Samatha merely shook her head, “You’ve already had your turn, in fact, you got to ask two questions in a row which means you have to miss a turn. Which leaves me to ask the questions, now tell me, what’s detective Woods like? She seems awfully nice, I honestly didn’t take you as the type who would like someone so caring and compassionate. Unless you’re secretly a big softy detective?” 

Yvette didn’t like the idea of talking about Briar, especially not to Samatha. But she also didn’t want to take the chance to not answer Samatha’s question. Thus refusing to participate in her game, so for now she was just going to have to go along and try to provide as little information as possible. 

“She is caring and she’s very compassionate, those are some of the things I like about her. She’s open with her emotions, but also encourages others to express theirs. She puts others before herself most of the time and frankly I don’t think I deserve her” 

In response, Samatha bellowed out a laugh, “God you are a softy, I only like my girlfriend because she does whatever I ask her to. Honestly, sometimes she’s more like a lap dog than an actual girlfriend. She acts all tough and intimidating but the moment you get close to her she’ll roll over and do anything you want. As long as you make her feel like she has some use” Yvette was at a loss of words, “It could also just be that I’m not very sentimental and I don’t really have the time to put into a relationship. So to have someone who does most of the work for me, as long as I tell her she’s doing a good job, is easier for me” she shrugged, “Anyways, next question, if you were given the choice between your own life, and your girlfriend's life, which one would you choose? Hypothetically thinking” 

“What type of question is that?” Yvette shouted, “I would put Briar’s life before mine without hesitation” It was true if Yvette would ever be faced with such a choice. She would give up her life at any time if it meant Briar was safe. She meant more to Yvette than anything and she knew that Briar would achieve far greater things than Yvette ever would. 

Samatha smirked at Yvette in amusement, “It was just a question, but it’s good to know that you’ve learned to put others before yourself. Color me surprised, I thought you’d still find yourself to be at a higher priority” 

“Why would you possibly think that?” Yvette snapped, once again Samatha put her hands up in defense. 

“Because the last time you were faced with the choice, you put yourself first and threw your other partner under the bus. So I half expected you to do the same again, but I’m pleasantly surprised” Samatha was about to say something else but she was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing, she scoffed, picking up her phone. “It isn’t mine” she grumbles out, “Which means” she turned her head in the direction to the couch, “Excuse me for a moment will you” without even waiting for Yvette to answer, Samatha stood up from her seat and stomped over to the couch. Bending over the top of it, she took hold of Yvette’s phone, “It’s your girlfriend detective, do you want me to answer it?” 

In response Yvette frantically shook her head, why was Briar calling her? Yvette hadn’t been gone for too long, so she didn’t expect Briar to stay worrying about her till later, much later. She hoped that Briar would just come to look for her in the morning, but apparently that wasn’t the case. 

Samatha shrugged, making her way back to her seat with Yvette’s phone still in hand, “I honestly thought you’d want to talk to her. Say your final goodbyes and all. But it’s up to you at the end of the day” she placed Yvette’s phone next to her, “Now I do believe it’s your turn to ask me a question” Samatha sighed as she leaned back once again in her seat, swinging her legs onto the table. 

“What are you going to do after all of this?”

“I’m leaving,” she said simply, “I’m not about to stay here when people are going to know damn well who I am and what I’ve done. I’ve already bought a plane ticket and I’m planning on getting my ass out of here long before people find this tape and your body” she smirked at Yvette, “You shouldn’t have to worry about that though, I have everything planned out”

Yvette couldn’t help but cock a brow, was Samatha still unaware that she was wanted for six accounts of murder? She couldn’t possibly not know that, her face and her name had been all over the news for weeks. At the moment she was one of the most wanted people in Manhattan, so for her to get onto a plane and leave the country wouldn’t be an easy task. “How do you intend to do that?” 

Samatha let out a hearty chuckle, “Now why would I tell you that? It’s a secret detective, a secret I intended to keep, but don’t worry I have my ways of escaping the law. Afterall if my father could do it, why can’t I?” she smiled back at Yvette, her hands running threw her hair. Her smile was quick to fall however when Yvette’s phone cut through the momentary silence. Samatha jerked up and snatched the phone off the table, only to scoff when she read the contact ID. She held it for Yvette to see, looking back at the detective with an annoyed look on her face, “Do you want me to answer it now?” Like before Yvette shook her head, and Samatha scoffed in response, “Well I’m not about to have her keep calling during all of this so either I answer the phone or I break the damn thing. So which is it?” growled Samatha, her grip on the phone only tightening as she started to grow more annoyed. When Yvette didn’t answer she rolled her eyes and stood up, and without a second thought, threw the phone to the ground, causing the things to break on impact. 

Tiny shards of glass were scattered across the room but Samatha seemed unfazed by them, walking back to the chair and taking a seat once again. Yvette looked back at her with a worried look, the longer all of this was going on, the more agitated Samatha seemed to get. The young woman taking in long breathes in hope to maintain her composure, pinching the bridges of her nose as she did so. Yvette was starting to grow uneasy, unaware when Samatha might snap and lash out at her. 

She shifted nervously in her restraints, “If I would let you go, right now, what would you do, detective?” she asked, Yvette opened her mouth before closing it again, she was at a loss of words. What would she do? She couldn’t go and try to take on Samantha, not again, but would she be willing to just walk away and let Samatha escape? After everything that she’d done, the people that she’s hurt, could Yvette really bring herself to let another guilty person free. 

“I don’t know” was all Yvette said in response, which only intrigued Samatha more. The young woman leaned on the table, studying Yvette’s facial features. It wasn’t the response she expected. 

“It isn’t a trick question” Samatha sighed, “Would you walk away, keep living your life and let me go free, or would you try to stop me from leaving, perhaps call the police or something to try and stop me?” 

“I don’t know,” Yvette repeated, “What would you do if you were in my situation?” 

Samatha laughed, “I’d just leave, pretend nothing ever happened. I mean that’s what I did when I was younger when I was in a similar situation to you. It’s better to be naive and forget things rather than dwell on them and try to change what’s bound to happen. I spent five hours hiding in a closet while everything was going with Paula, I hid in there until I knew it was safe and when it was I ran. I didn’t even tell anyone about it until the news about her death came to light and even then I didn’t want to get involved. But I wasn’t like I had a choice right? I was the only eye witness to everything, so as much as I wanted to pretend as nothing happened and just carry on with my life. I just kept being dragged back to the same, harsh reality” she grimaced at the thought, “But that was then, this is now. And right now, it’s time for you to ask me a question” 

Yvette thought for a moment, “Do you regret any of the things you’ve done?” 

“In all honesty, nope” she chuckled, “It isn’t as if I’m killing innocent people who haven’t done anything wrong in this world. I’m only killing people who deserve what they get, who deserve to suffer and go through agonizing deaths. I wouldn’t dream of killing an innocent person, I have morals, you know?” 

Yvette scoffed, “You murdered six people, only half of those actually deserved what happened to them” 

“Yes, but just because those three people didn’t hurt Paula directly as the others did, that still doesn’t mean they didn’t deserve what happened to them. Cheryl Anderson took a bribe from Thomas Brown so that my father wouldn’t have to face any sort of repercussions for his actions. Cassy Smith, one of my closest friends, claimed that she was there that night and saw everything. When in fact she was sick in bed with the stomach flu. All so she could get the sympathy and attention from our peers that she so desperately wanted. James Davis, a man that I actually felt a tinge of sympathy for because the other reason he slacked off was as a direct result of you. But still, he forgot to follow up on evidence that would have helped go against my father and would have also linked Thomas Brown and Josh Jackson to the whole ordeal as well. So as I said, they might not have had a direct role in the murder, but that still didn’t mean that their action didn’t affect the outcome of everything, just like you” 

“And I’m sorry for what I’ve done”

“Sorry doesn’t fix the things that happened, saying sorry doesn’t just magically make things go back to normal. You and the rest of those sinners saying sorry doesn’t bring back my best friend!” she shouted as she shot out from her seat, slamming her hands onto the table, “Do you have any idea how terrifying it was, to have to hide in that damn closet and listen to everything happen. Listen to someone you’ve cared about for years, plead for her life, and plea for them to just stop. While you're left there hiding away, forced to hear everything, wanting so desperately to help but you're too scared to so much as make a sound. And then when it finally stops and you finally think it’s safe, you’re dragged right back into the whole mess, having to recount every single detail. Only for that to go to waste because no matter what you say or did, those people still got to go free. Do you have any idea how helpless it is being in that sort of position? To know that everything that you’d gone through had just gone to waste all because some asshole waved some money around and a detective had her head shoved so far up her ass that she couldn’t see how much of an incompetent piece of shit she was!” Samatha bellowed out, her grip on the table tightened as she glared down at Yvette. Her eyes were full of pure rage, and Yvette couldn’t help but feel small under those hate-filled eyes. Neither of them said anything for a moment, only the sounds of Samatha’s harsh breathing could be heard, “I think it’s time we draw tonight to a close '' Samatha whispered. 

She clapped her hands together as she made her way towards Yvette, this was the moment she’d been waiting for. After countless months, she could finally finish these murders and move on with her life. She could be free from all of this, and she would have finally been able to rid the world of those wretched sinners. 

“I’m going to give you three choices, detective, and you can only choose one” Samatha began, “Choice number one, I let you go, which means that you get to go back to living your life as if nothing ever happened. In exchange, however, you have to choose between your girlfriend or your mother taking your place. Choice number two, I give you a quick and painless death, a mere bullet to the head. However, I get to do whatever I want with you beforehand, which mean I can do any type of torture I see fit. And then choice number three, there’s no torture involved, but I still intend to kill you the same way you’d suffer in hell. Which means that I’d break you on a wheel. And that I will sure that your girlfriend is the first to find your body. The choice is yours” Samatha said, a wicked smirk on her face, tonight was going to be one to remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the end! I really hope you guys enjoyed and please don't hate me for leaving it open-ended and the fact that there won't be a sequel. If you guys want, feel free to ask me questions that you guys might have in the comments or on my Tumblr (same username as here: stupidthesloth). But like I said before, thank you all so much for reading and I'll see you guys at my next story!


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